ML396132881

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

African Collared-Doves (i.e., Ringed Turtle-Doves) are a common exotic species in Puerto Rico, but it seems the Eurasian Collared-Dove has now gotten a foothold in the southwest. Although there are many subtle field marks worth noting, the most reliable test is the pattern of the tail and undertail coverts (and voice). In the image with two birds, both are actually African Collared-Doves. Below, note the white undertail coverts in the African Collared-Dove (first image) and then the gray undertail coverts of the Eurasian Collared-Dove (second image). The Eurasian Collared-Dove has a wider, more square tail that shows dark outer webs. The primaries of a Eurasian Collared-Dove are much darker, but I found that lighting conditions often made this difficult to judge (see below two, for example). A combination of field marks is the way to go. It was very cool getting to study so many African Collared-Doves. My only Eurasian Collared-Doves were between the towns of Combate and Pole Ojea.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 40D

ISO

400

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

720 pixels x 501 pixels

Original file size

229.13 KB