 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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81.2 (61.5 - 104.0)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Reported from 183 atlas squares, Eurasian Collared-Doves were found in farmyards and small towns across southern Saskatchewan where they were a common constituent of the local soundscape. Although collared-dove were rarely seen away from human settlements, they were generally absent from large urban centres, preferring the outskirts of towns and nearby acreages. Eurasian Collared-Doves were observed as far north as Hoey, south of Prince Albert, and North Battleford, but were most common in the Mixed and Moist-Mixed Grassland ecoregions.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Historically found in the Indian subcontinent, the Eurasian Collared-Dove expanded its range into Turkey and the Balkans in the 1860s, then to Yugoslavia by 1912, Germany by 1945, and Great Britain by 1955 (Ehrlich et al. 1994). In the mid-1970s the species was accidentally released in the Bahamas, and in 1976 on Guadeloupe. It may have arrived in Florida in 1978-1979 (Romagosa 2002) but was not identified correctly until 1986, when the population was around 10,000 birds; in 5 years they then increased 10-fold (Kale et al. 1992). In 1998, they first reached Canada- in Saskatchewan. Their incredible population explosion was due in part to their ability to produce 3 to 6 broods per year (Cramp 1985).
Collared-Doves are found year-round in villages, towns, and cities. During the summer they are territorial and disperse irregularly; with the arrival of winter they concentrate, often in a single location, near bird feeders, grain elevators, or livestock.
Collared-Doves were first recorded in Saskatchewan in 1998 and by 2013 had possibly reached the maximum northern extent of its range at Luseland, Borden, Laird, Carrot River, and Yorkton. With the notable exception of Coronach, populations are largest and most stable in the smaller cities: Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, and Estevan. Numbers reported in even smaller communities tend to be less stable, while it has failed to become firmly established in Saskatoon and Regina.
Original text by Gregory P. Kratzig. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Eurasian Collared-Dove in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Eurasian Collared-Dove in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=EUCD&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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