Species old and new

This Mourning Dove was in my back yard. 



    This Eurasian Collared Dove was on the southern

            coast of North Carolina.

Bird species can come and go with time.

           I thought of that when I saw two Mourning Doves sitting peacefully at my bird bath this morning. No, Mourning Doves are not endangered. They are protected.

Mourning Doves are game birds, but they are the most abundant of the dove species in the U.S. They come to feeders most anywhere. Their swift flight makes them a challenge for hunters. The rules hunters follow, and the licensing fees they pay, help maintain game lands and help account for the Mourning Dove's abundance.

            You see, we learned a painful lesson a more than a century ago when Passenger Pigeons were hunted to extinction. In the 1800s few people considered the possibility of the Passenger Pigeon becoming extinct. The birds flocked in such huge numbers that they were a good source of food. So they were killed regularly. People netted them and shot them. Then came habitat destruction. It all added up to a once-abundant species that vanished in just a few decades.

On the flip side, is the case of the Eurasian Collared Dove. These birds were introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s, quickly expanded their range to the Gulf and Atlantic Seaboard, and can now be seen almost everywhere but in the Northeast. Since they like being around human habitats, they show up at bird feeders. I have not seen one at my feeding station, though. I’m right at the border on the latest range map.

           The collared dove is still a bit of a mystery. While its range has expanded – mostly toward the northwest - its actual population is still being studied. And experts are debating the possibility that the Eurasian Collared Dove may displace the Mourning Dove in some areas.

But the collared dove will continued to be monitored. And when a dove lights at your feeding station, you might take a second look.

Here's what I saw at the feeder today:

AM, partly cloudy, 80 degrees, 30 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove

American Robin

Common Grackle

Blue Jay

Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Fish Crow