Eurasian Collared-Dove, Streptopelia Decaocto

Day 350: A casual glance at the Mourning Doves searching the ground beneath the feeders might not have caught the one onion in the petunia patch. Slightly larger, greyer, a solitary bird relied on its resemblance to its cousins to effectively camouflage a Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), but when it extended its neck in alert, the dark line revealed its true nature. Introduced in the Bahamas in the 1970s, this species' range has extended to most states except in the northeastern part of the US and is working its way into Canada. These birds do not tolerate extreme cold, a fact which some sources believe explains their absence in the NE, however, with global temperatures on the rise, this may change within a fairly short span of time. At this point in their history, they are not considered detrimental to native bird populations, although their large appetites may affect food-source availability in regions where they occur in large numbers. The internet will supply many references stating that "decaocto" refers to a servant in Greek mythology and her transformation into a dove, but these allegations are unsupported and purely apocryphal.