When is the collared pigeon breeding season? How can you recognize the bird? You can find this and many other interesting information and pictures in our species portrait.
The collared pigeon (Streptopelia decaocto) is the second most common wild pigeon in our home gardens after the wood pigeon. Similar to its relatives, the collared pigeon can also be heard from afar - its dull, calling song often echoes through towns and settlements during the breeding season. The collared pigeon got its name because it came to us from south-eastern Europe - including Turkey - in the 1930s and spread to western and northern Europe in the decades that followed. Originally, however, the collared pigeon comes from Asia, from where it gradually made its way towards Europe. You can find out how you can recognize the wild pigeon both by its appearance and its characteristic song and how you can support it in your own garden in our large profile on the collared pigeon.
Turkish Pigeon: Wanted Poster
| Size | 29 - 33 cm |
| Weight | 150 - 200 g |
| Incubation | March - November |
| Lifetime | Up to 12 years |
| Habitat | Cities, settlements, parks and gardens |
| Food Preference | Seeds, Grains & Berries |
| Threats | Declining food and habitat |
How to recognize the collared pigeon
Turkish pigeons are a bit slimmer and more delicate than the closely related wood pigeons. Their plumage is light grey-beige. The wingtips are slightly brownish and the wingtips are dark in color. The most distinctive feature of the Collared Pigeon is a dark neck stripe. Male and female animals are colored the same and cannot be distinguished visually.
What does the collard pigeon sound like?
The cooing song of the Collared Pigeon sounds like a dull "Gu-guuh-guh" with the stress on the second syllablewill. The motif of the wood pigeon has a very similar sound, but consists of five syllables instead of three.
The collared pigeon song sounds like this:
How do you recognize a collared pigeon fledgling?
Young collared pigeons do not yet look as elegant as their parents. Their plumage is a dull brown and lacks the characteristic nape stripe. However, this youth dress is lost quite quickly. After just a few weeks, collared pigeons are completely colored and after three to four months they can even start their own brood.
What do collared pigeon eggs look like?
The collared pigeon's eggs are about 3 cm long and pure white. The female almost always lays two eggs per clutch in a nest made of small twigs. The nest and the brood are sometimes very aggressively defended against nest robbers, for example corvids, and also people.
What habitat does the collared pigeon prefer?
Turkish pigeons are cultural followers and prefer to live in close proximity to humans. They benefit from the food supply in agricultural areas and like to settle in villages, but also in the parks of smaller towns.
Where does the collared pigeon build its nest?
Nests of collared pigeons are found in trees, hedges and other dense vegetation. Preference is given to coniferous trees that are distributed individually or in groups in the landscape. Man-made structures are also used as breeding grounds - for example window sills, flower pots or canopies.
When is the collared pigeon breeding season?
The breeding season of collared pigeons is quite long and lasts on average from March to November. In particularly mild years, however, the elegant birds can breed all year round and then create up to six broods per year. The clutches are incubated for about 14 days before the young birds hatch. The young are then fed in the nest with so-called crop milk - a substance rich in protein and fat that the adult birds produce themselves.
Where does the collared pigeon spend the winter?
Turkish pigeons are resident birds in Central Europe. This means that they do not move south in winter, but also spendthe cold season in their breeding areas. During this time they can sometimes be observed in small groups together with wood pigeons or feral domestic pigeons. Most of the time, however, they travel in pairs.
Support the collared pigeon in the garden: This is how it works
Because Turks are culture followers, they are almost exclusively found near people. Here you can find out how you can offer wild birds a welcome home in your garden.
What do collared pigeons eat?
Turkish pigeons eat purely plant-based food. They use a variety of berries, seeds and various types of grain in agriculture. They also like to visit feeding stations, where they eat mixtures of grains, sunflower seeds and other seeds. A feeding station in the garden is a great way to support collared pigeons.
You can offer, for example, our Plantura all-season feed, which provides domestic pigeons and many other garden birds with nutrient-rich, selected ingredients all year round.
Are nesting aids appropriate for collared pigeons?
Classic nesting boxes, such as those used for blue tits or nuthatches, are out of the question for collared pigeons. Nevertheless, you can create suitable breeding grounds in your garden, for example by not thinning out hedges and trees too much - a potential nest is well hidden in dense vegetation.
How can you support the collared pigeon?
Apart from keeping birdseed ready, you can also provide natural food in your garden. For example, in our special article on the subject of “bird-friendly gardens”, you will find plenty of berry-bearing plants that the collared pigeons can feast on. In summer and during the breeding season, a watering hole is also extremely helpful. For the production of the crop milk, the parent birds need a lot of water, which you can easily offer in a bird bath in the form of a flat bowl or a trivet. On hot days, such a drinking trough also serves as a refreshing bird bath.
Note: However, always ensure that your bird bath is cleaned regularly. The water point should be cleaned daily, especially when the temperature is high.
Another bird species that mainlyThe girlitz, for example, eats a vegetarian diet and is lured into the garden with birdseed. Get to know this garden bird a little better in our species portrait.