There are two kinds of doves that are seen in the Skiatook area, the mourning dove and the Eurasian collard dove. The bird referred to as a rock dove is actually a pigeon (feral pigeon). It was introduced into North America by the European settlers in the early 1600s, possibly as a source of food.
The mourning dove is common and abundant across America. It is a sleek, gray-brown bird with a long, pointed tail with white spots on the sides. The wings have black dots. A blue ring can be seen around the eye. When taking off, the wings make a whistling sound. The call is a mournful “ooaah cooo, coo-coo,” hence the name. Mourning doves mate for life, but if one is killed the remaining bird will find a new partner.
The Eurasian collard dove was introduced into the Bahamas in the 1970s, made its way to Florida in the 1980s, then rapidly spread throughout most of America. It is slightly larger than a mourning dove and is heavier. It looks like a chunky cousin. It is a pale gray-buff with a black partial collar ring. The tail is squared-off and tipped with white. A red ring may be seen around the dark pupil. The voice is a soft “coo-coo, cooo, coo-coo, cooo.” I love the calls of both birds, so gentle and peaceful, something sorely needed today.
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Both doves make nests of twigs, weeds and grasses which they place in the fork of a tree. All doves lay two white eggs. The parents feed the young “crop milk,” a secretion of fat and protein produced by the lining of the crop and regurgitated to the little ones. Both parents are kept busy feeding the babies.
