Tourterelle turque— Quebec wildlife

The Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), often called the collared dove, is a dove species from the genus Streptopelia. It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey, and has a black half-collar edged with white on its nape, alluding to the name. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It has also been introduced to Japan, North and Central America, and select Caribbean islands.

Description

It is a medium-sized dove, with an average length of 32 cm (13 in) from tip of beak to tip of tail, a wingspan of 47–55 cm (19–22 in) and a weight of 125–240 g (4.4–8.5 oz). It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey, slightly darker above than below, and with a blue-grey underwing patch. The tail feathers are grey-buff above, and dark grey and tipped white below; the outer tail feathers are also tipped whitish above. It has a black half-collar edged with white on its nape. The short legs are red, and the bill is black. The iris is red, but from a distance the eyes appear to be black, as the pupil is relatively large; a narrow rim of reddish-brown iris surrounds the black pupil. The eye is surrounded by a small area of bare skin, either white or yellow. The two sexes are identical; juveniles only differ in having a poorly developed collar, and a brown iris. The Eurasian collared dove's call is a three-syllable goo-GOO-goo, with stress placed on the second syllable. It also makes a harsh loud screeching call chrrai-chrrai lasting about two seconds, particularly in flight just before landing. Eurasian collared doves cooing in early spring are sometimes mistakenly reported as the calls of early-arriving common cuckoos.