Have You Seen the New Doves?

A new bird is moving into western Montana, the Eurasian collared dove. FW&P says they’re fairly easy to identify. It looks similar to the mourning dove, it is larger, has a black half-collar on the back of its neck and sports a broad tail squared at the tip. The mourning dove’s tail is pointed.

The Eurasian dove was first spotted in the U.S. in Florida in the 1980’s and has spread  since then over the U.S. They appeared in Montana in the last three years. I have a pair living in our neighborhood.  Rattlesnake Bob says he’s got quite a few of them up around his house.