Dove ID, Guangxi China (1 Viewer)

[mzwebby]

This seems like it should be fairly straightforward, but I'm having some trouble with the ID of this dove. Heard Spotted Dove in the same area of this bird. Also know that Eurasian Collared Dove is possible in this region (Guangxi, China) as well.

I'm thinking this bird might be a young bird that hasn't developed full adult plumage, since the neck shows no sign of a band or spotting.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[johnallcock]

Proportions (small head, long tail) and plumage (brown body, grey head, no white visible above in folded tail) fit Spotted Dove. Juveniles lack the spotting on the sides of the neck.

Is Eurasian Collared in Guangxi? They're pretty unusual in southern China, and birds in HK & Guangdong are thought to be derived from ex-captive birds (HK now has an established feral population). They should be paler/sandier and shorter-tailed than this.

 

[mzwebby]

John,
Thanks for your help and comments on the dove. Much appreciated.

As for Eurasian Collared in Guangxi, I have only one sighting here, an observation I made back in 2014 (soon after arriving in China), when I made the following note: "Black hind-neck collar. No obvious white on tail in flight. Fairly large size and long tail. Saw one perched and a group flying." The eBird sightings in Guangxi are very limited, so your comment made me wonder whether that record might have been a case of mistaken identity. However, the combo of the black hind neck collar and long tail makes me think it less likely to have mistaken a Red Collared-Dove (a species I wasn't too familiar with at that time) for Eurasian Collared.

Mike