Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Abundance: Very Uncommon, but probably gradually increasing in abundance; locally uncommon at some sites where present a few years (e.g., Pikeville, Bledsoe County, Tennessee, and Smithville, DeKalb County, Tennessee).

Status: Permanent Resident, known from 18 Regional counties as of October 2008; photograph (see link below).

Regional High Count: 50 (1 July 2008; Bledsoe County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman, Edmund K. LeGrand); CBC/CBB High Count: 45 (29 December 2008; Bledsoe County CBB; Edmund K. LeGrand et al.); FBC High Count: 31 (4 October 2008; White County FBC; Douglas A. Downs et al.); SBC High Count: 8 (6 May 2006; White County SBC; Douglas A. Downs et al.).

Information on Records of First Occurrence in Each County: 

26 February 1995 (1) Livingston, Overton County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Thomas M. Saya); see Remarks below.

9 February 1998 (1) Pikeville, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (Kevin A. Calhoon; Knight 1998b).

24 March 2000 (1) 7 km north of Smithville on Cookeville Hwy., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Carol D. Williams photo and unpubl. data).

16 July 2002 (1) Rt. 31E, Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Busroe 2002d).

4 June 2003 (2) Tennessee Tech University campus, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Trisha D. Poling; Casteel 2003d).

1 July 2003 (5) Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky (Clay Black; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2003b).

27 December 2003 (5) Vervilla, Warren County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Carol D. Williams; Casteel 2004b), a CBC record.

17 January 2005 (5) Science Hill, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005b).

7 May 2005 (4) Sparta, White County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data), a Spring Bird Count record.

24 September 2005 (1) Rt. 325 east of Byrdstown, Pickett County, Tennessee (Winston A. Walden, Catherine E. Walden, Margo Hinkle unpubl. data), a Fall BirdBlitz record.

30 September 2005 (2) Rt. 163, just south of intersection with Rt. 80, Edmonton, Metcalfe County, Kentucky (Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr., Stephen J. Stedman; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

30 April 2006 (2) 3.2 km south of Burke, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Janie C. Finch, Richard C. Finch unpubl. data).

30 September 2006 (2) LaFayette, Macon County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs, Stephen J. Stedman unpubl. data), a Fall BirdBlitz record.

18 November 2006 (1) near Martha Washington Rd., Fentress County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data).

14 December 2006 (2) Holly Branch Rd., Clay County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data), a CBC record.

25 April 2007 (1) Rt. 90 about 1 km east of Barren County line, Monroe County, Kentucky (Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data).

8 October 2008 (2) feed mill in Russell Springs, Russell County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

8 October 2008 (2) outside Columbia at intersection Rts. 55/551, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton unpubl. data).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Foray Results: Distribution and abundance based on UCR Foray data are mapped as follows:

• DeKalb County Foray--23-26 May 2008
• White County Foray--25-28 May 2007

Breeding: Probable; but no confirmations have yet been made. Apparently prefers nesting in evergreens, but that preference requires confirmation in the Region also.  A collared-dove carrying a twig into an Eastern red cedar on Double Springs Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee, 6 April 2006 (Stephen J. Stedman) provided the best breeding evidence in the Region as of that date.

Habitat: Feed stores and agricultural supply stores in, as well as older sections of, small towns; feed lots and cattle farms in agricultural areas.

Remarks: The first Regional record was reviewed by the Tennessee Bird Records Committee and not accepted by that body (Knight 1996c); while I acknowledge the committee's decision to reject the documentation for this record, I still believe the sighting to be valid and include it above; many additional records from Overton County have occurred in the years since the first record, so there is no doubt as to the presence of this columbid in that county.

    Local populations are subject to considerable variation in number from year to year, for reasons that remain as yet unknown, but which may simply be related to the tendency of individuals and groups within populations to move around a lot in a local area; this tendency in turn may be predator-avoidance-related.

    Some data relating to the colonization of Tennessee by Eurasian Collared-Dove are presented with permission via the following link:

Eurasian Collared-Dove Data

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited