Eurasian Collared-Doves

I usually go to the bird ID forum, but this topic has more to do with bird behavior. I’ve always had a soft spot for Mourning Doves, their gentleness, the blue ring around their eyes. I grew up in the Texas panhandle on a cotton farm, listening to their call in the early mornings. We referred to them as Turtledoves. We recently began observing some flamboyant behavior among our back yard turtledoves - a lot of PDA, and mating often enough to attract notice. Around that time we purchased a bird guide, and I learned about the Eurasian Collared-Dove, which has a black collar around the nape of the neck, as do these birds that have been getting it on like rabbits in our back yard. I got curious then, and began searching out our domestic turtledoves, hoping they were still coming around. I finally spotted a couple of them pecking around on the ground beneath the tray feeders, and I was relieved to see them. I’ve never seen these domestics eat out of any of the feeders, but they often hang out in our court yard, perching on a railing, just being friendly. Over the last couple of weeks, the Eurasians have begun to eat from our bird feeders, and they hover in the trees above the domestics as they’re eating on the ground, sometimes moving in on them. Since the cost of feeding backyard birds ain’t exactly chicken feed, we’re not too pleased with these brutes intimidating our sparrows and finches at the feeders. I’m wondering if there’s a nut, seed, berry, insect or other edible that Eurasians would find disgusting. Something that would discourage them from crowding out our sweeties at breakfast time. Any suggestions?

Collared Doves [no hyphen!] are slightly larger than Mourning Doves - your only option would be to put the food in a cage with holes that MD and other small birds can get through, but CD can't.

Resin

I too have been inundated with Collared Doves at my bird feeders this year with them driving away all but the most persistent other species that frequent the feeders. I have all three resident species so far, i.e. Mourning Doves (native to N. TX), White Wing, and Collared with the White Winged now being most numerous and the Collared being the biggest "bullies".
It seems that the only thing that keeps them away for any length of time is to let the feeders go completely empty for a few days or to watch for our resident Red Tailed Hawk to make a pass through the trees trying to grab a dove lunch several times a week.
From what I've read, the Eurasians started in Florida with a small population but have been expanding their rage across the south and north quite quickly year after year.
The Eurasians were kind of a novelty at first but at this point, have become little more than a seed gobbling nuisance that I wish would go away.
Steve

You expressed your ire toward the Eurasians better than I ever could. I don't believe in ever, ever, harming birds, and am against hunting them, so this is a true dilemma. Thanks for your comments!

The link to close the thread is missing. Has the site changed? Anyway - this thread is closed.

You started this in the Bird Watching forum, not Bird Identification. This is why there is no closed option.

I have mixed feelings about the bird. They have only been by here briefly and never ate from the feeders, but I know some have concerns. One friend has both Mourning and the Eurasians and she said she's never seen any aggression on the part of the non-native. Her battle is squirrels. She used to shoot at them and the grackles, just to scare them off, but a neighbor didn't like that too much, so now she uses a hose. I smile because this is a sweet older lady, I cannot picture any kind of weapon in her hands.

Our Mourning Dove population has exploded. I think they are a sweet bird but my! do they eat. At least they eat the whole seed. I broke down and got the cheap stuff for them as they are not picky eaters.