A few more words on Eurasian collared-doves (ECD, Streptopelia
decaocto) to add to Paul Gardner's and Vic Fazio's remarks. I'm sure Vic
does not advocate identifying the West Manchester piebald bird based on
its size alone, or suggest that plumage characteristics aren't important
in the identification of ECD. This bird, for example, did not show the
characters in the undertail coverts and outer tail feathers that
normally clinch an ECD identification, and one of Rick Asamoto's photos
shows this.  No vocalizations were heard.
        I had a look at two of my European field guides on Eurasian collared
doves, Mullarney et al. (1999) and Jonsson (1992), with English titles
'Birds of Europe.' Both are, I believe, pretty much up to date and very
highly regarded, and would not fail to mention important plumage
variations in the species they treat. The ECD has been there since the
'70s, and Europe's many excellent observers are more familiar than
Americans with it by now; as far as we know, Europe is the source of our
ECDs. Both guides illustrate and describe a single set of plumage
characteristics, just as do Sibley, the National Geographic guide, etc.,
on this side of the pond. I don't know of any North American field guide
that mentions plumage variations for this species such as Vic hints at.
I've made numerous trips to Florida, the Ground Zero of this species'
invasion, since the '80s, and have never noticed aberrant ECD plumages
in thousands of sightings. If there are documented records of wild S.
decaocto exhibiting obvious variations from treatments in reputable
field guides, then it's time someone wrote a paper formally describing
them for ornithology.
        Ringed turtle-dove and Streptopelia 'risoria,' terms now abandoned by
the AOU in favor of African collared-dove S. roseogrisea, denoted a
domesticated form in N. America (there are minor differences in opinion
on this, with the AOU maintaining there are three small self-supporting
colonies, and the ABA that it's not viable anywhere in the wild in N.
America), quite tame and easily kept in captivity. It is often released,
and some individuals can closely resemble ECDs because so many
phenotypes have been fostered by breeders--see the web address Paul
offers. Unfortunately, hybrids--some of them doubtless
confusing--between this pet form and the wild ECD exist and have been
widely reported in the literature, and are bound to increase as the
latter occupies North America.
        As for parallels with the rock pigeon Columba livia, I don't know--but
would be glad to learn--of domestication and controlled breeding of S.
decaocto that would produce anything resembling as many documented
plumages--all acknowledged by the field guides, I should mention--of
feral rock pigeons around the world. My impression from reading the
literature is that ECDs are not preferred for domestication.
Cross-breeding with other species is another matter, but would of course
produce birds that are not genuine S. decaocto. If Vic is looking at
mixed-parentage birds not referrable to decaocto, I'll readily grant the
point, but surely a strange-looking roseogrisea X decaocto cross is not
a Eurasian collared-dove!
Bill Whan
Columbus

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