Novasolan Turtle Dove
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Novasolan
Turtle Dove, Streptopelia
rosea L 26-28 cm, WS 45-50 cm, Family:
Columbidae
IUCN Conservation Status: Least concern (LC)
Description:
Smaller
pigeon with plump body, small head, and longish tail. Brownish overall, upperparts
dark with cinnamon to gray edging around each feather, giving it a scaly
appearance. Head and underparts mostly tan to grayish. Neck is pink, with
distinct black-and-white striped patch. Tail squared when folded, in flight
appears wedge-shaped, with white outer feathers. Legs and eyes red, bill black.
Voice:
Voice
a soft, melancholic cooing, usually in three syllables, often written as hoo-hoo-hee,
where the third syllable is pitched higher than the first two. Often the call
is shortened to just the first two monotonic syllables. A cat-like purring call
is given by paired birds when together.
Range and Habitat:
Common
throughout Novasola, except high altitudes. They can be found in most ecosystems,
including conifer, deciduous, and mixed forests, forest edge, savannah,
chaparral and scrub, prairie and grassland, and wetlands, but they prefer more
open habitats like grasslands, meadows, forest edges, and agricultural fields
and orchards. Extremely common in urban and suburban areas, they frequent
parks, gardens, and backyards. Avoids altitudes above 6,000 feet. Migratory,
birds summer across the island but in winter will migratory to southern areas
and coasts where temperatures are more mild. Birds are frequently seen as
vagrants in Alaska and British Columbia, especially in winter, and on rare
occasions they may be seen as far as Oregon.
Discussion:
The
most common native pigeon within urban and suburban areas, the Novasolan Turtle
Dove is an extremely familiar and well-known bird on Novasola. Though common
throughout the island, the Turtle dove has been more successful at adapting to
human settlement than other native doves, and as such is heavily associated
with cities, towns, and other developed areas. It is thought that, unlike other
native members of its group, the Novasolan Turtle Dove has increased in numbers
along with the human population, as it faced less competition from other doves
like the Feasting Pigeon in urban settings. They are most commonly observed at
bird feeders, in yards and parks, perched along telephone wires, and foraging
in parking lots and sidewalks.
Outside
of developed areas, S. rosea prefers open areas with sparse canopy,
especially meadows, scrubland, and savannah. They are less likely to be seen in
forest interiors than other native doves, and are equally unlikely to be
observed foraging in trees. Though they will perch and roost up high, including
the canopy and atop buildings and silos, Turtle Doves prefer to remain low when
searching for food and are mostly ground foragers. Their diets consist mostly
of seeds and grains like sunflower, millet, wheat, and corn, but they may also
eat other seeds like nuts and cone seeds, fruits, and small invertebrates.
Doves walk along the ground, bobbing their heads, and peck at food pieces with
their bill. Flocks usually forage together, and at prime feeding spots many
flocks might merge and feed together, and they may also often be seen in mixed
species flocks with other birds like chickadees, sparrows, and finches. Despite
their size, doves are somewhat timid and will often be pushed away from food by
other birds when not protected by larger numbers.
Monogamous,
Novasolan Turtle Doves mate for life, and are rarely seen without their mate.
These pair bonds are strong, and paired birds remain close to one another and
communicate with one another frequently. When perched side by side, both birds
may give “purring” calls. Males pick the spot to build the nest, and both
parents build the nest, incubate eggs, and feed chicks. Mated pairs will often
reuse the same nest site year after year. Dove will nest in trees, shrubs, and
in developed areas they will often nest on buildings and porches. Their strong
bonds and unwillingness to travel far without their mate, coupled with their
gentle nature, soothing voices, and soft appearance, make Novasolan Turtle
Doves a popular symbol of love, marriage, and loyalty among Novasolan citizens.
Many Novasolan artworks like poems, songs, and paintings, feature this motif.
In the early years of white settlement of Novasola, it was considered a sort of
taboo to kill a dove without killing its mate as well, which has evolved into
the modern concern that killing Turtle Doves is bad luck.
Though
the other endemic pigeons are closely related to pigeons found on the mainland
North America, the Turtle Dove is unique in having an old-world lineage.
Novasolan Turtle Doves are most closely related to Oriental Turtle Doves found
in eastern Asia and Siberia, which on occasion are found as vagrants on
Novasola. It is believed a group of Oriental Turtle Doves became isolated on
Novasola and evolved into a new species, the Novasolan Turtle Dove, and that
this speciation event is relatively recent, making this bird one of the younger
species on the island. The species name rosea, Latin for pink, refers to
the color of its neck.
The
Novasolan Turtle Dove was already well-known on the island before Richard
Reichwald began his work with the NRC. Along with the Novasolan Jay, Halley’s
Robin, and the Merriam’s Goldfinch, the Turtle Dove was among the first birds
Reichwald observed, having written about them in his personal diary in the
first days of his time on the island, a month before the NRC’s first expedition
began.
“At
the urging of Lieutenant Mackenzie I have met with his wife, the local
schoolteacher, to arrange lodging. I am grateful that she offered a small room
in the back of the old schoolhouse for use as my personal office, used now simply as neglected storage, for the entirety of the expeditions at an
agreeable rate which I immediately accepted, and a spare room at their own personal home as my lodging, to share their home as my living space.
…
Upon
arrival at my office I found to my great joy a pair of doves had made a home for themselves
in the support beams of the porch roof. Their nest, a bit crude in
construction, sits just above the entryway, and I must be careful to lean
leftwards as I use to stairs so as not to entangle my hair in its twigs. It
seems as though this nest has been here prior to this nesting year, and I
suspect these doves are returning inhabitants. No eggs have yet been laid, which
I am excited to witness. My regret is that I should leave here before the eggs
have hatched.” – Personal diary, March 2, 1902
“The
dove, plump as it is, though preferring the company of the ground, is an expert
flier, swift and acrobatic on the wing with rapid beats. Its flight is heralded
by the loud clapping of takeoff, and further signaled by a frequent whistling
sound of air through the wing feathers. With considerable speed the dove swoops
and weaves in great arcs, as if to show off to any potential observers. At home
in the open, the dove is unlikely to find comfort in dense woodlands, though
during migration they may make compromise…” – Native Birds of Novasola, 1912
“My
doves have returned! They have picked up precisely where I left them last year,
repairing the same nest above my doorway. Already they have laid two eggs,
brown and pink, and again I will no doubt depart here before I may appreciate
the fruits of their labor. A shame it is, that my sole purpose here is to study
the bird life, yet here given the perfect opportunity to do so, to follow at
every stage of life known individuals, I must abandon them, only to hope they
shall return next year.” – Personal diary, March 30, 1903