While surfing the net for information about the Passenger Pigeon I ran across some information about the arrival of a new species of bird to the continental U.S., the Eurasian Collard Dove.
A farmer friend of mine first alerted me to the arrival of these doves, which looks much like the common mourning dove. It is larger and has a black ring, edged in white, around its neck.
According to one source, it is a species that may have undergone some type of genetic change in recent decades, exhibiting a new-found and awe-inspiring ability to extend its range. Apparently, it was brought to the Bahamas by accident, migrated to south Florida in 1987 or thereabouts, and has no established isolated colonies as far north as Illinois, and as far west as California.
I've seen a few of these birds in southeast Arkansas. As yet, their numbers are not large. My question for you AH'ers who are Floridians is, how large are the populations there and how fast they growing?
Curious.
Regards, Shuckins/Leggern
