Canary Island Doves (1 Viewer)

[spanishalex]

Hello all. I am trying to clarify the status of the doves on the Canary islands. In recent trip reports, there are mentions of Laughing doves on Fuerteventura and even Lanzarote. I would love to hear from anyone who has seen them and who can let me know if they are definitely Streptopelia senegalensis or whether the references refer to other doves. The sightings seem to have occured around the La Lajita Zoo. Local birdy folk have suggested that some records may be due to confusion with the Eurasian collared dove or Barbary dove.

As I understand it there are currently three breeding doves recorded from the islands:

The Turtle dove Streptopelia turtur turtur.

The African collared dove S. roseogrisea (from Mauritania to Arabia) in its domesticated form S. r. risoria (known as the Barbary dove).

The Eurasian collared dove S. decaocto decaocto.

To complicate matters a bit more the last two species hybridise like mad. The Eurasian collared dove has darker primaries and a darker overall colour.

Any thoughts would be welcome!

Alex

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Alex,
While I cannot help you on your question, because I have been on Tenerife (the only identifiable Streptopelia there were decaocto and turtur) I have questions concerning hybridisation

The only exception was Los Christianos in the south where I had some individuals that might have been hybrids (or even pure "risoria"?but I didn´t hear them call) with very light colours and and also less black on the underside of the tail.

The only calls I heard when decaocto-type birds were around sounded like typical decaocto, not like any roseogrisea risoria.

do you know if there is any indication in the call at all, that could help you to determine a hybrid?

 

[spanishalex]

There are differences between the calls of S. decaocto ans S. roseogrisea risoria:

Decaocto: The call is a unrolled «kuk-kooOO-kook», uttered repeatedly. The alarm call is a harsh, mewing cry.

Roseogrisea risoria:The call is a repeted, rolled «kooeek-krrooooo» and the alarm cry a soft, jeering «heh-heh-heh» laugh. Also utters a low, growling call.

What happens when the two hybridise I am not sure! If the birds you saw were in an urban area feeding on crumbsor relatively tame they were probably roseogrisea risoria.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Alex,
they were in all bigger urban areas and all calls were like middle european S. decaocto; also as you describe it for decaocto.At least in mainland spain (Valencia , Barcelona) I also have seen S. decaocto being extremely tame and feeding on crumbs, so that is not a clear identification Coloration was also perfect for S. decaocto , except in some individuals in Los Christianos in the South, which looked more like hybrids or risoria; but even there most birds looked more like decaocto to me...

 

[spanishalex]

Decaocto is said to be less tame than risoria here and is definitely the collared dove you see most often outside the towns. I don´t think anyone has a handle on the exact range and distribution of the two on the Canaries. They only colonised in the 1980s and they definitely hybridise with each other and tend to nest at the same sites.

I´ve just had a good look at the birds in Santa Catalina Park in Las Palmas and most seem to be risora but there are a couple of decaocto among them.

So far they do not seem to be affecting the population of turtle doves and can only be good news for the Sparrowhawks and Barbary Falcons. Does anyone know if either risoria or decaocto hybridise with the turtle dove?

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Alex,
That´s interesting. The book "Where to watch birds in Tenerife" by Eduardo Garcia del Rey said that risoria on Tenerife is in danger of being replaced by decaocto and there is only one site where there is still a good population of risoria and no decaocto (don´t remember which site, can look it up). However, that hybridization occurs at all is only mentioned in one half -sentence somewhere in this book.

The calls I heard were like kuk-kooKOOO-kook; the alarm calls a soft mewing cry, slightly reminiscent of a small gull-the calls very similar, perhaps with a slightly different sound (dialect?) compared to middle european S. decaocto, the alarm call being the same as in middle european decaocto-at least in my ears.

I have never read or heard of hybrids of either of the 2 species with S. turtur in the wild.

 

[spanishalex]

Aves del Archipelago Canaria (Aurelio Martin y Juan Antonio Lorenzo) states that hybridisation occurs and that most of the dacaocto records are confusions with risoria. On Tenerife it has the population of decaocto as about 100 pairs in Puerto de la Cruz with risoria much scarcer. That may have changed since as the book came out in 2001.

I ask about hybridisation with the turtle dove as I have just seen a bird in Santa Catalina that looks like decaocto but has the round neck patch of a turtle dove and faint patterns on the wing coverts.

The first pair of collared doves I saw on Gran Canaria was in the Botanic gardens at Tafira in the early 1990s. They were very tame and almost certainly escaped risorias.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi alex,
did a search in the net on Streptopelia hybrids;found a US bird forum where they were discussing Eurasian collared doves . the observation was mentioned that an appearend hybrid decaocto x risoria gave the calls of Ec Dove. Lost the link somehow, will try to find it again.
Have to look at my notes concerning colour and patterns...

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi all,

this thing with the Collared_barbary-whatsoever doves on Tenerife is still causing problems for me; also after looking at my notes and books.
Attached is a rough drawing from Los Christianos, Tenerife.

There were lots of Streptopela doves which I took for decaocto; but then I realized a very light coloured individual with clearly white undertail coverts (this bird did not call ; in size, structure and behaviour it was exactly like all others); and I also saw some individuals that were lighter coloured than most collared doves but not as light as this one individual. One of those birds I heard call and it gave the S.decaocto calls.

Now the book Alex mentions in one of his previous mails is in contrast to Eduardo Garcia del Rey ; Where to watch birds on Tenerife? (from I think 1999). Garcia del rey says S.risoria - barbary dove is in danger to be replaced by Collared dove and there are only 2 areas where you can see them : Guaza Mountain (which happens to be the Mountain directly beside the beach and city of Los Christianos) and Ten-Bel- a tourist resort from a Belgian Company-there Garcia del Rey says Barbary doves have their last stronghold. For Guaza Mountain he also lists Collared dove as a common bird.

A check in the dove breeders organisations pages in the net gave that risoria -decaocto hybrids and their offspring are near 100% fertile.

I compared the drawings in Svensson/Grant/Mullarney/Zetterstroem_(S.decaocto there shown with white undertail coverts, no puic of risoria UTCov) with Sibley (decaocto with greybrown UTcov, black on outer rim of tail side extending further than on the other feathers, risoria with white UTCov, outer rim of tail side white; black area not as big as in decaocto_ not agood description-I am lacking the words)

So did i see a hybrid population ? In all other cities the Streptopelias I have clearly seen and heard fitted to the description on the right side of the attached sheet-therefore I assume them to be decaocto.

And what undertail coverts are they really supposed to have!?!
Please Help, anybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Hi Alex,

re hybridisation S.turtur x risoria
This seems possible; found the following short remark on the American dove Keepers Website

http://www.flatratewebsites.com/sites/ada/faq.html

What’s a dove Hybrid?
Hybrids are young of parents from two different species (i.e. a ringneck dove (Streptopelia risoria) and a European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur)); they are different species, but belong to the same genus.

Also in one of his books the biologist konrad lorenz describes that he tried to get that hybrid for behavioural studies, but failed due to the aggressiveness of the female risoria towards the male turtur in the aviary- so it doesn´t seem to be an all day occurrance.

Do you have any pics from your likely turtur x risoria hybrid?

Jörn

 

[spanishalex]

I havent any pictures but I will keep an eye out for the one suspect I saw in Santa Catalina and try and get a photo.

I´m still curious about the sightings of Laughing doves on Fuerteventura.

 

[Steve Lister]

Hi Alex

Going back to your initial question - yes, birders have been seeing senegalensis on Fuerteventura for a couple of years. It is quite possible that these are wild birds that have colonised from Morocco, even though the main site is near a zoo.

My wife and I saw a few coming to drink from leaking water pipes at the back of a cactus garden next to the zoo in December 2002. The species is very different to both decaocto and 'risoria'.

I suspect that large numbers of decaocto have moved across from Morocco in the last few years and have just about wiped out the escaped/introduced risoria population. We have never noticed anything other than decaocto during our three visits to F'tura, but must admit that we did not pay the species much attention . It is now a very common species in England but was unknown 50 years ago.

Steve

 

[spanishalex]

My guess is that the senegalensis resident on Fuerteventura are descended from introduced birds. David Bannerman in his Birds of the Atlantic Islands Volume II lists the species as a bird that had been recorded from the islands but of which confirmation was still needed. That was in 1963 in the days when the policy was still shoot first, identify later. A natural colonistaion is possible given that the island of Fuerteventura has changed so much in the past few years and new habitats have appeared. The serin and greenfinch have colonised the islands within the past 50 years. Even the spanish sparrow is a relative newcomer.

As for the risoria/decaocto debate your suggestion is a good one. Decaocto has definitely spread ràpidly since it appeared in the 1980s and you would expect it to outcompete risoria, a feral domesticated bird, almost everywhere. Risoria may well survive only in places where the birds are fed regularly by us; parks and the like.

 

[Steve Lister]

My guess is that the senegalensis resident on Fuerteventura are descended from introduced birds. David Bannerman in his Birds of the Atlantic Islands Volume II lists the species as a bird that had been recorded from the islands but of which confirmation was still needed. That was in 1963 in the days when the policy was still shoot first, identify later. A natural colonistaion is possible given that the island of Fuerteventura has changed so much in the past few years and new habitats have appeared. The serin and greenfinch have colonised the islands within the past 50 years. Even the spanish sparrow is a relative newcomer.

QUOTE]

I still favour the senegalensis being new colonists, as they seem only to have been reported in the past two or three years; I have spent three holidays on Fuerteventura, all intensive birding, and only saw them for the first time in 2002. I had only seen one reference to them before then. There's no way of being sure, but every chance they will get established around the flourishing tourist developments that seem to be springing up all over the island.

Steve

 

[spanishalex]

I suppose the person who will know for sure is the owner of the La Lajita Zoo. If he has had any escapes then that would account for the birds.

Most of the records I have seen on the net are close to the zoo and there are definitely birds of this species in captivity on the islands. Aves del Archipelago Canario has records from the island of Fuerteventura at the Parque Holandes at Morro Jable, another at Costa Calma and even one in Corralejos. It also has 3 records from Tenerife between 1980 and 1999. Carle Bolle recorded the species from Fuerteventura in 1857 and Cabrera commented that it was occassional on Tenerife in 1893.

The species has been introduced to Australia and possibley Malta. It is interesting that it has started to breed in Morocco where it was previously only an accidental migrant. If it becomes permenantly established I suppose genetic tests would show where the birds have come from. Lots of species seem to breed for a while here and then disappear or survive only dependant on feeding sites at parks and zoos: Myna birds, various parrots, etc. The ruddy shelduck and sacred ibis populations are also probably descended from escapes/releases.



I think that if senegalensis were a natural colonist