Bird guideAfrican Collared-Dove

It has also been introduced into the Americas where it has now colonised most of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and is still spreading rapidly.

⚠️Not listed
🍃Indigenous: African Collared Dove

At a glance

FamilyPigeons and Doves
SizeSmall
RarityUncommon
Habitatsparse woodland, open woodland, grassland, herbaceous graminoids sparse hummock grasses, and woody trees scattered
Best timeMost reliable in South Australia from January.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Julien Birard

Range map

Range map

86approx hotspots
967approx records
7states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Native to northern Africa and the southwestern Arabian Peninsiula; established in Puerto Rico and New Zealand, but also found in pockets across North America. Compare with Eurasian Collared-Dove, which also has a black collar on the hindneck; note that Eurasian Collared-Doves are generally darker overall, have more extensive black at the base of the undertail, and the primaries are distinctly darker than the remainder of the wing. In flight, Eurasian Collared-Doves have a tricolored pattern to the upperwing rather than the somewhat uniform appearance of African Collared-Doves.

Behavior

Song is “oo-rrroooo-oooo,” loudest at start, than trailing off.

Regional timing

Victoria
Peak: December to February176 records
South Australia
Peak: January752 records
Western Australia
Peak: December1 records
Tasmania
Peak: November2 records
New South Wales
Peak: February17 records
Australian Capital Territory
Peak: April5 records
Queensland
Peak: January7 records
Northern Territory
Peak: November7 records
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