# Need help



## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

I am totally confused about the identification of a bird and have nowhere else to go.

I should start off by saying that I know birds. i bred show pigeons for years, and am now a licensed falconer. Most of the time I can just look at the silhouette of a bird and can tell you what it is.

But this has me totally stumped.

Today on my way to work I noticed a dove in the road, and as I approached it didn't fly off. So I got out of the car and noticed that a sizable chunk of feathers from the right secondary area was missing, as well as the tail. So I caught it, put it in a box with water, and headed on to work.

My little friend is fine, but I cannot for thel ife of me figure out what it is.

It has the coloration of a Eurasian collared dove (they are epidemic around here), but it is the size of the native mourning doves. It HAS NO COLLAR, and bright orange eyes. Also, on the trailing edge of the good wing it is quite a bit paler, though not what would be expected to be seen in a white-winged dove. I cannot describe the tail as there is no tail to describe. There were no black spots on the wings as I might have sxpected from a mourning dove.

I live in Wichita, Kansas, and we have only four dove species that I have seen: Rock dove, mourning dove, white-winged dove, and Eurasian collared.

I am sorry I have no photographs. If needed I will try to supply some.

Thank you


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

could be an escaped ringneck dove, does it look like this in the link?
http://cdn.strombergschickens.com/images/uploads/775_548_large.jpg


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Spirit wings, he said that there was no neck ring, even though it is the color of a wild type ringneck or a Eurasian collared dove.

Does it have a white patch where the ring might be, or nothing at all? How old does the bird appear to be? Sometimes a baby doesn't show it's ring until it gets its first molt (like I have an orange baby right now whose neck looks all flat orange, but he will eventually have a white ring on his neck.)

Oh, and from these, what color/mutation is it closest to? http://www.dovepage.com/species/domestic/Ringneck/ringneckcolorlist.html


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Libis said:


> Spirit wings, he said that there was no neck ring, even though it is the color of a wild type ringneck or a Eurasian collared dove.
> 
> Does it have a white patch where the ring might be, or nothing at all? How old does the bird appear to be? Sometimes a baby doesn't show it's ring until it gets its first molt (like I have an orange baby right now whose neck looks all flat orange, but he will eventually have a white ring on his neck.)
> 
> Oh, and from these, what color/mutation is it closest to? http://www.dovepage.com/species/domestic/Ringneck/ringneckcolorlist.html


oh..lol.. I was thinking no band..or ring as some call it..on the leg.. it is probably a young morning dove who has not gotten his spots yet.. if there is no picture to show people can guess all day like charades... so really need a pic to go any further to see if a licensed rehabber needs to called as if it is wild it is protected by law.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> oh..lol.. I was thinking no band..or ring as some call it..on the leg.. it is probably a young morning dove who has not gotten his spots yet.. if there is no picture to show people can guess all day like charades... so really need a pic to go any further to see if a licensed rehabber needs to called as if it is wild it is protected by law.


Wow, that would be a really interesting mutation.  An orange-eyed mourning dove. 

Does it look like any of these mutant mourning doves? 
http://www.ringneckdove.com/Wilmer's WebPage/mutant_color.htm


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Libis said:


> Wow, that would be a really interesting mutation.  An orange-eyed mourning dove.
> 
> Does it look like any of these mutant mourning doves?
> http://www.ringneckdove.com/Wilmer's WebPage/mutant_color.htm


perhaps not a mutation but a subspecies.. white winged doves have orange eyes, and no spots on the wing...


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

spirit wings said:


> perhaps not a mutation but a subspecies.. white winged doves have orange eyes, and no spots on the wing...


That's true. Those are gorgeous little guys, too. They've got them free-flying in the desert building at our zoo. (The "Desert Dome.")

Though Birdsong did say something about the light part to the wing not being right for a white-winged dove. 

Wow, just got some close-up pics and I've never noticed how very orange those eyes are! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-winged_Dove


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

Mourning doves are protected by law, however Eurasian collared doves are not, being an introduced species. And juvenile mourning doves have more spots on their wings compared to adults, even females.

It looks very close to the photo of the turtle dove Spirit Wings posted, except the head is more . . . pigeon-y rather than dove-y (the beak seems almost too small and narrow, and the had is more blocky) and there is no ring whatsoever on the neck. There are a few ash grey feathers on the side of the head where a ring would normally start.

And the eyes are ORANGE, which is what really got me. Not the dark red that Eurasian collared doves have. And it is an adult--it is usually fairly easy to tell by the beak.

I will try to get a photo up of her; our computer is down and I am using our other one that is several years old and doesn't have the ports for transfering photos.


Thank you very much for your help!

PS the box was temporary. She is now in a very large cage outside, where she can enjoy the weather, and has been eating ravenously. She is also rather tame--she wasn't bothered by the dog or by my mother and me who sat not five feet away while she ate and drank.


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)




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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)




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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

Eurasian collared dove head for comparison


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

Mourning dove for comparison


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

And white-winged dove


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Im not sure what you got there..it is a dove..lol.. perhaps a subspecis. Thanks for showing it.. she may have gotten away from a predator that is why her tail feathers are not there.. Do you know any wildlife rehabbers in your area?


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Ringneck dove heads vary a bit in shape. Your bird here has a head that reminds me of my cock Edmund.

I think you might have a younger ringneck dove here. Do you have a full body shot with something for size comparison? The young birds can look really mature--every time I look at my 4.5 week old ringnecks I can't believe how mature they look.


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

The nearest rehaber I know of is near Kansas City. There used to be a lot of rehabers but the Kansas Wildlife and Parks changed the regs and are going for a "let nature take it's course" approach to injured, ill and abandoned wildlife.

I am wondering if this isn't someone's pet that they let lose or escaped. And I thought perhaps a dog or a cat got it and that's why it's tail is gone--there were flecks of dried blood when I looked for injuries--and that portion of the wing.

it is very tame. it is sleeping in my left hand as i type and its heartbeat is slow (for a dove.)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Birdsong said:


> The nearest rehaber I know of is near Kansas City. There used to be a lot of rehabers but the Kansas Wildlife and Parks changed the regs and are going for a "let nature take it's course" approach to injured, ill and abandoned wildlife.
> 
> I am wondering if this isn't someone's pet that they let lose or escaped. And I thought perhaps a dog or a cat got it and that's why it's tail is gone--there were flecks of dried blood when I looked for injuries--and that portion of the wing.


That is one tame little guy. That has to be someone's pet--some of my pet doves don't act that tame (especially with strangers.) Going to stick with probably a ringneck or Eurasian collared dove, or African collared dove maybe. Possibly some other kind of exotic, too. I don't know, it looks like it should be legal for you to keep, regardless. I really don't think this is a native species. You might look at ringneck dove x pigeon hybrids and see if they might look similar. Or perhaps this is some kind of other dove x dove hybrid?

Another possibility with the tail feathers is that someone was holding the dove or trying to catch it and it lost the feathers slipping through their fingers. I guess that doesn't explain all the blood though. Maybe just in case of cat/dog bite you should do some antibiotics?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I agree... he is not wild I do not think... can you keep him?


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Here's a page with good pictures of hybrids:

http://www.ringneckdove.com/Wilmer's WebPage/pigeon_dove_hybrids.htm

Look at this bird's head, it's big proportionately for a dove like your bird:









And this one:


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## Birdsong (Jun 16, 2011)

I have been checking Craigslist and the papers for anyone missing a dove; no one is. And as a falconer I always have a "falconry first-aide kit" on hand, so I have antibiotics, but there were no punctures or other injuries that I could notice. The flecks of blood I believe are from when the tail was pulled out.

I know it is not native, and therefore legal to keep. It just bugs me that I cannot identify it--those orange eyes! That makes me think it is part rock dove.

Whatever its past, it has a good home here. It is brought in at night and placed in a large flight cage during the day.


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