Abaco Doves | ROLLING HARBOUR ABACO

DOVE LOVE: APPRECIATING PIGEONS ON ABACO

Monday was International Pigeon Appreciation Day 2016, apparently. I’m not a huge fan of limitless species being accorded their own special day each year: “Celebrate International Plankton Day – Be Kind to your Favourite Protozoa!” or “Global Millipede Day: Take an Arthropod for a Walk!”.

White-crowned Pigeon (& header image) White-crowned Pigeon, Abaco (Alex Hughes)

I’m not sure where pigeons come in all this. In many cities feral pigeons are considered vermin – yet people love to feed them, even the ones with rotted feet and one eye. Especially those ones. Pigeons may be pests in crop fields, yet HEROES in wartime. They may be decorative, yet are, regrettably, good sport and delicious.

White-winged dove White-winged Dove, Abaco Bahamas - Tom Sheley White-winged Dove, Abaco - Tony Hepburn

I’ve decided to take a broad view with pigeons and doves (there’s no significant difference), and not to be sniffy about Columba and their special day. They are pretty birds and they deserve it. So I’m featuring some Abaco pigeons and doves to enjoy, representing every species found on Abaco – and a bonus dove from New Providence at the end.

Eurasian Collared Dove Collared Dove, Abaco - Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour Eurasian Collared Dove, Abaco (Bruce Hallett)

The Columbidae of Abaco: all permanent breeding residents

Common Ground Dove (Tobacco Dove) Common Ground Dove, Abaco 1 (Tom Sheley) Common Ground Dove, Abaco (Keith Salvesen)

SPORT REPORT

PROTECTED SPECIES From a sporting and culinary point of view, the following pigeons and doves are protected by law at all times: Common Ground (Tobacco) Dove; Keywest Quail-Dove

SHOOTING IN SEASON The following have open season from roughly mid-September until March: Zenaida Dove; White-crowned Pigeon; Eurasian Collared Dove; Mourning Dove

UNPROTECTED – NO DESIGNATED CLOSED SEASON White-winged Dove (but why? they are fairly uncommon on Abaco); Rock Pigeon.

Zenaida Dove Zenaida Dove, Abaco (Bruce Hallett)

Key West Quail-Dove

The second bird of this pair was recently photographed by Milton Harris at the north end of Elbow Cay. More details HERE Key West Quail-Dove, Elbow Cay, Abaco (Milton Harris) 1a

Rock Pigeon Rock Pigeon, Sandy Point, Abaco Bahamas.Tom Sheley 2b Rock Pigeon NYC (keith Salvesen)

Mourning Dove Mourning Dove, Abaco (Charles Skinner)

The birds shown above represent the 8 species found on Abaco. However, not far away in New Providence, there is a beautiful pigeon that has not yet made its way over to Abaco and has yet to be introduced there. I am ambivalent about the deliberate introduction of alien species, because of the frequently very real risks to native species in terms of territory, habitat, food sources and so forth. But where there is no detectable threat to the local species, perhaps there is no great harm. I’d certainly like to see these lovely birds flying around – if possible, as a protected species…

Pied Imperial Pigeon (Nassau) Pied Imperial Pigeon 1, Nassau (Woody Bracey) Pied Imperial Pigeon 2, Nassau (Woody Bracey).JPG

Photo credits: Gerlinde Taurer (1); Alex Hughes (2); Tom Sheley (3, 7, 13); Tony Hepburn (4); Keith Salvesen (5, 8, 14); Bruce Hallett (6, 9, 10); Woody Bracey (11, 16, 17); Milton Harris (12); Charles Skinner (15)

“OL’ BLUE EYES”: WHITE-WINGED DOVES ON ABACO

The White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica is an easily recognised dove species, being the only one on Abaco with conspicuous white wing markings. The prominent blue eye-rings are another unusual feature of this bird. The blue is skin and not feather colouring. Another identifier is the dark line on the upper neck.

Although the birds are permanent residents on Abaco, they are relatively uncommon. They are not a protected species, and yet unlike some other pigeon and dove species (Mourning Dove, Ring Necked Dove, White-crowned Pigeon, Zenaida Dove) they are not listed among the game birds that have a shooting season. Unlike many species whose range is decreasing for all the usual human-related reasons, this bird appears to be expanding its range – or is possibly being introduced in new areas. Urban development seems not to be not such a deterrent as for other birds, and feeders are also thought to contribute to the spread.

This short audio clip of a White-winged Dove has other background bird sounds, mostly identifiably a red-winged blackbird making its ‘rusty gate hinge’ call

Mike Nelson / Xeno Canto

FANCY THAT!

STEVIE NICKS name-checks the White-winged Dove and its call in her 1981 hit “Edge of Seventeen” from her Bella Donna album. If your interest is piqued as the Mac again discuss putting behind them their various differences and prodigious substance sampling to re-form (Glastonbury 2015?), see below. However, rehearing this again (having hidden Bella Donna in a locked drawer 30 years ago) the music has not worn well and her voice – sometimes so exciting – is somewhat fingernails on blackboard.

This final image is by Dan Pancamo who generously uploaded it to Wiki. It is several cuts above the usual generic illustrative images in both quality and style.