Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Abundance: Very Uncommon in most counties, but locally Uncommon in some counties where present a few or more years (e.g., Pikeville, Bledsoe County, Tennessee; Smithville, DeKalb County, Tennessee; and Sparta, White County, Tennessee); records in 22 Regional counties as of June 2014 (Map of UCR Distribution); probably gradually increasing in abundance; Regional population trend irregular but apparently positive (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; photograph (see link below).

Regional High Count and CBC/CBB High Count: 56 (21 December 2010; DeKalb County, Tennessee [CBC]; Barbara H. Stedman, Carol D. Williams); Next Highest CBC/CBB High Count: 45 (29 December 2008; Bledsoe County, Tennessee [CBB]; Edmund K. LeGrand et al.); FBC/FBB High Count: 31 (4 October 2008; White County, Tennessee [FBC]; Douglas A. Downs et al.); SBC/SBB High Count: 10 (9 May 2013; DeKalb County, Tennessee [SBB]; m. ob.).

Information on Records of First Occurrence in Each County: 

26 February 1995 (1) Livingston, Overton County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Thomas M. Saya); see Remarks (below).

9 February 1998 (1) Pikeville, Bledsoe County, Tennessee (Kevin A. Calhoon; Knight 1998b).

24 March 2000 (1) 7 km north of Smithville on Cookeville Hwy., DeKalb County, Tennessee (Carol D. Williams photo).

16 July 2002 (1) Rt. 31E, Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky (David L. Roemer; Busroe 2002d).

4 June 2003 (2) Tennessee Tech University campus, Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee (Trisha D. Poling; Casteel 2003d).

1 July 2003 (5) Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky (Clay Black; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2003b).

27 December 2003 (5) Vervilla, Warren County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Carol D. Williams; Casteel 2004b), a CBC record.

17 January 2005 (5) Science Hill, Pulaski County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2005b).

7 May 2005 (4) Sparta, White County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman), a Spring Bird Count record.

24 September 2005 (1) Rt. 325 east of Byrdstown, Pickett County, Tennessee (Winston A. Walden, Catherine E. Walden, Margo Hinkle), a Fall BirdBlitz record.

30 September 2005 (2) Rt. 163, just south of intersection with Rt. 80, Edmonton, Metcalfe County, Kentucky (B. Lemon Palmer-Ball, Jr., Stephen J. Stedman; Palmer-Ball and McNeeley 2006a).

30 April 2006 (2) 3.2 km south of Burke, Cumberland County, Tennessee (Janie C. Finch, Richard C. Finch).

30 September 2006 (2) LaFayette, Macon County, Tennessee (Douglas A. Downs, Stephen J. Stedman), a Fall BirdBlitz record.

18 November 2006 (1) near Martha Washington Rd., Fentress County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman).

14 December 2006 (2) Holly Branch Rd., Clay County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman), a CBC record.

25 April 2007 (1) Rt. 90 about 1 km east of Barren County line, Monroe County, Kentucky (Barbara H. Stedman).

8 October 2008 (2) feed mill in Russell Springs, Russell County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

8 October 2008 (2) outside Columbia at intersection Rts. 55/551, Adair County, Kentucky (Roseanna M. Denton).

29 May 2011 (3) Scott County Park, Scott County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman).

31 May 2011 (2) Pine Knot area, McCreary County, Kentucky (Barbara H. Stedman), a McCreary County Foray record.

6 April 2014 (7) Crain Hill Cemetery, Van Buren County, Tennessee (N. P. "Mac" McWhirter, Susan N. McWhirter).

24 June 2014 (2) Industrial Drive, Carthage, Smith County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman photo, Christie F. Peterson).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). Prefers evergreens as nest sites.

Habitat: Feed stores and agricultural supply stores in, as well as older sections of, small towns; feed lots and cattle farms in agricultural areas.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: The first Regional record was reviewed by the Tennessee Bird Records Committee and not accepted by that body (Knight 1996c); while I acknowledge the committee's decision to reject the documentation for this record (without consulting me about it), I still believe the sighting to be valid and include it above; many additional records from Overton County have occurred in the years since the first record, so there is no doubt as to the presence of this columbid in that county.

    Local populations are subject to considerable variation in number from year to year, for reasons that remain as yet unknown, but which may simply be related to the tendency of individuals and groups within populations to move around a lot in a local area; this tendency in turn may be related to predator avoidance.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited