Exotic doves

Would you like to know which are the most beautiful exotic doves? Would you like to know how they look like? Are you interested in knowing much more about their feeding, location and behavior? You can find here a list of exotic doves and learn about the unique characteristics that distinguish these exotic flying birds.

It may interest you where do birds go when it rains?

1. Rock exotic dove

Scientific name: Columba livia

The natural range of rock dove is limited to southern Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia, but after their domestication their distribution was extended to most of all continents except Antarctica; especially in North America, the Southern Cone of America and the southern temperate zones of Australia. Adults of the nominal subspecies are between 29 and 37 cm long and have a wingspan of 62 to 72 cm. The weight of wild or feral rock pigeons ranges between 238 and 380 grams and they have red eyes as some exotic owls.

This dove has been introduced around the world as a food source or as a game. However, they are a threat to the health of the population since they can transmit a variety of diseases to humans, poultry and wildlife; the above, by contact with pigeon droppings or by prolonged exposure to their feces and feathers. However, the fame of pigeons as unhealthy animals to humans has been exaggerated, and as a result, they have earned their nickname as “Air Rat” due to their supposed diseases and dangers.

2. Eurasian collared exotic dove

Scientific name: Streptopelia decaocto

The collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) is a species of columbiform bird in the Columbidae family. It is of regular size with an average length from beak to tail of 32 cm, wingspan between 47-55 cm and weight of 125 to 240 g. Their plumage is generally greyish beige with a pinkish hue on the head and chest. Back feathers and upper wing coverts are light brown, those on the underside are bluish gray, and their primaries are darker brown. She is characterized by a black list edged in white that surrounds the sides and back of her neck as a necklace. Blackish bill, dark red iris and fine white peri-ocular ring.

The Turkish dove is a medium-sized dove, with a total length similar to that of the rock pigeon, although its tail is longer and much more slender. It is slightly larger than the European turtle dove with an average beak-to-tail length of 32 cm, a wingspan of between 47 and 55 cm, and a weight of 125 to 240 g. Its plumage in general is grayish beige, with a certain pinkish hue on the head and chest. Its back and upper wing coverts are uniformly light brown, its undersides are bluish gray and its primaries are darker brown. It presents a characteristic black list edged in white that surrounds the sides and back of its neck as a necklace.

3. Laurel pigeon

Scientific name: Columba junoniae

It is a sedentary pigeon. It is large (40 cm long) and robust, with a dark reddish body and a gray head and neck with blue-green reflections. The tail is lighter gray and the final tip is white, which is why it is known by the following popular names: rabichi, yellowfin, white-tailed, rovalvo, tailpipe or pigeon. The beak and the edge of the eye is orange, very striking. When they are young, the reflections are softer and have a black bill that turns orange when ripe. It is an endemic bird of the Canary Archipelago, and it is distributed by the islands of La Palma, La Gomera and Tenerife, and to a lesser extent El Hierro. An estimated amount of about 2000 individuals distributed mainly between La Palma and La Gomera.

The females can lay several times in the same year, one egg, white, each time. The eggs are practically deposited on the ground, covered by vegetation. These exotic pigeons incubate it between the two parents for 10-20 days. At approximately 25 days after hatching from the egg, the chicks begin to fly. The breeding period takes place between March and September. One of the most important threats of this species is the loss of eggs, since when they are placed at ground level and with practically no nest, they are vulnerable to being trapped by cats and rats.

4. Sri Lanka wood pigeon

Scientific name: Columba torringtoniae

The Sri Lanka wood pigeon is 36 cm long. Its tail and upper parts are dark gray, the head and underparts are lilac, but it is paler on the belly. There is a black and white checkerboard-like pattern on the nape. This species nests in humid evergreen forests in the central highlands, they build a nest of tree branches and hatch a single white egg. Their flight is fast, with the regular rhythms and an occasional loud snap of the wings that are characteristic of pigeons in general. They mainly eat plants. It is normal for them to be silent, although during the breeding season they have a similar call to the owl. He is of Asian origin, Sri Lanka.

At present it is in a vulnerable state, the main threat is the extensive logging and degradation of forests, especially in humid areas, through logging, gathering firewood, conversion to agriculture, tree plantations , gem mining and fire. These exotic pigeons have also suffered reductions in food supply due to the replacement of natural forests by fruit trees and monoculture plantations. The regressive death of forests in the mountain region, perhaps due to air pollution.

5. Stock dove

Scientific name: Columba oenas

It lives in Europe (the United Kingdom concentrates a third of the European population), in Western Asia and Morocco. It is partially migratory, the populations of western and southern Europe are sedentary but those of central and northern Europe and those of Asia migrate south in winter. The left pigeon is the rarest pigeon in Europe. Before deforestation, the Zurita pigeon was more frequent, since it breeds preferentially in old oak or pine forests, since it nests mainly in the cavities of the trunks that are normally only found in old forests. In recent forest plantations there are no holes to nest, so they are scarce there.

Outside the breeding season it also needs cavities because it usually sleeps in them. The habitat of the left pigeon is generally the open groves, and the limits and the clearings of the forest. Despite nesting in trees, avoid densely wooded areas. It is also common on the shores where cliffs provide holes. They are found in small colonies in Spain and in all types of environments, except in Ceuta and Melilla, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. They prefer flat areas with nearby crops, where they can easily find food. These exotic doves do not usually inhabit high mountain areas so there are no populations in the Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada. It feeds mainly on plant matter. It prefers young shoots and seedlings, although it also feeds on seeds, insects and other small invertebrates that it pecks from the ground.