Eurasian Collared Dove | ইউরেশীয় কণ্ঠীঘুঘু #Bird #EurasianCollaredDove #MotherNature #NandanPaul
Channel: Mother Nature India
Date: 16/07/2019

It is a medium-sized dove, distinctly smaller than the wood pigeon, similar in length to a rock pigeon but slimmer and longer-tailed, and slightly larger than the related turtle dove, with an average length of 32 cm (13 in) from tip of beak to tip of tail, with a wingspan of 47–55 cm (19–22 in), and a weight of 125–240 g (4.4–8.5 oz). It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey overall, a little darker above than below, with a blue-grey under wing patch. The tail feathers are grey-buff above, and dark grey tipped white below; the outer tail feathers also tipped whitish above. It has a black half-collar edged with white on its nape from which it gets its name. The short legs are red and the bill is black. The iris is red, but from a distance the eyes appear to be black, as the pupil is relatively large and only a narrow rim of reddish-brown iris can be seen around the black pupil. The eye is surrounded by a small area of bare skin, which is either white or yellow. The two sexes are virtually indistinguishable; juveniles differ in having a poorly developed collar, and a brown iris. The collared dove is not migratory, but is strongly dispersive. Over the last century, it has been one of the great colonisers of the bird world, travelling far beyond its native range to colonise colder countries, becoming a permanent resident in several. Its original range at the end of the 19th century was warm temperate and subtropical Asia from Turkey east to southern China and south through India to Sri Lanka. In 1838 it was reported in Bulgaria, but not until the 20th century did it expand across Europe, appearing in parts of the Balkans between 1900–1920, and then spreading rapidly northwest, reaching Germany in 1945, Great Britain by 1953 (breeding for the first time in 1956), Ireland in 1959, and the Faroe Islands in the early 1970s. Subsequent spread was 'sideways' from this fast northwest spread, reaching northeast to north of the Arctic Circle in Norway and east to the Ural Mountains in Russia, and southwest to the Canary Islands and northern Africa from Morocco to Egypt, by the end of the 20th century. In the east of its range, it has also spread northeast to most of central and northern China, and locally (probably introduced) in Japan.[4][3][2][5] It has also reached Iceland as a vagrant (41 records up to 2006), but has not colonised successfully there.

ইউরেশীয় কণ্ঠীঘুঘুর দেহের ওপরের অংশ বালু-বাদামি ও নিচের অংশ হালকা গোলাপি-ধূসর। ঘাড়ে অর্ধচন্দ্রাকৃতির একটা কলার থাকে। পেট ও তলপেট ছাই-ধূসর। ডানার পেছনের পালক কালচে ও নিচটা সাদা। লেজের তলার আচ্ছাদক পালক গাঢ় ধূসর। কালচে লেজের শেষ অংশে সাদা পট্টি। ঠোঁট বাদামি-কালো। পা ও আঙুল গাঢ় গোলাপি। নখ কালো। পুরুষ ও স্ত্রী দেখতে একই রকম। বাচ্চাগুলোর পালকে হলদে আভা থাকে। ঘাড়ে কোনো কলার নেই। খোলা মাঠ, গ্রাম বা আশপাশে বড় গাছ আছে এমন কৃষিজমি, শুষ্ক পাতাঝরা বনের প্রান্ত ও লবণাক্ত (Mangrove) বনে এদের দেখা যায়। সাধারণত একাকী, জোড়ায় বা ছোট দলে বিচরণ করে। চষা জমি, ঘেসো মাঠ বা বনের প্রান্তে হেঁটে হেঁটে আগাছার বীচি ও শস্যদানা খায়। বাংলাদেশে এদের ধবলঘুঘু বা রাজঘুঘু নামেও ডাকা হয়।