Red Collared Dove

Fascinating facts about the Red Collared Dove

• When French naturalist Johann Hermann named the species in 1804, he chose the town of Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast for its scientific name, linking the bird forever to a specific spot on the southern Asian coastline.
• At just 20.5–23 cm long and weighing about 104 g, the red collared dove is a small pigeon with a male that has a striking blue-grey head and a bold black collar against a rust-brown body.
• The dove’s range stretches across the Asian tropics, from the plains of Punjab to the cultivated valleys of Afghanistan, but it deliberately steers clear of rocky foothills and the harsh deserts that dominate much of the region.
• Two subspecies split the continent: S. t. humilis occupies eastern Nepal through northern China to the Philippines, while S. t. tranquebarica holds the western stretch from Pakistan to peninsular India.
• Although the IUCN lists the species as Least Concern because its range is enormous, scientists note a slow, ongoing population decline, a reminder that even common birds can slip toward trouble without vigilant monitoring.

At a glance

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