“At the end of the day, it isn't where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I'm going and never have been before.”- Warsan Shire
The Collared Dove has its origins in India, from where its populations have spread west over many generations. Before 1930 it was confined to Turkey and the Balkans in Europe, it then rapidly expanded its range northwest, quickly colonising most of Europe viz Hungary in 1932, Germany in 1945, the Netherlands in 1947, France and Switzerland in 1952 and Britain in 1955. It has been a colonisation more spectacular than that of any other known land-bird. Introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s; it has spread rapidly across much of North America.
According to legend a poor maid was ill-treated by her hard-hearted mistress who paid her a lowly sum of "eighteen" pieces a year. The maid prayed to the Gods that she would like the whole world to know of her misery. Zeus, the king of Gods answered her prayers by creating this dove whose song proclaims "deca-octo" meaning "eighteen" (deca=ten + octo=eight in Latin)
Eurasian collared dove
(Streptopelia decaocto)
Sony A77ii
Tamron 150-600
f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO2000, 600mm
Stamford, (UK)
Jan - 2021
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