Doves

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One of the interesting things about being a birder in southeast Texas is watching how some species have gradually been extending their range into our area. One example is the Crested Caracara. A couple of decades ago, Caracaras were rarely seen around Houston but now they are common all over the Katy Prairie and at coastal sites such as High Island and Brazoria NWR, and they often turn up within Houston itself.

An even better example is the White-winged Dove. When I came to Houston 8 years ago, White-winged Doves were moving up from south Texas but were normally only found west of I-45 or on the coast. (I remember being very excited to see my very first White-winged on a trip to Galveston in 2003.) They are now common all over our area and even further east along the Gulf coast.

With white edges on their wings and tails, they are striking birds.

The bright blue ring around their eye makes them more striking still.

Unfortunately, their arrival in our area seems to be bad news for other doves. When we moved to Cypress in 2005, our yards were visited regularly by both Mourning and Inca Doves. These days we rarely if ever see either of these two species here because White-winged Doves have taken over. One probable reason for their success is that they are significantly larger than Mourning and Inca Doves. Another may be that they form larger flocks: We regularly get 20, 30 o even 40 at a time in our yards. A third reason may be that they seem to be very adaptable in their foraging habits. Ground feeders by nature, many of ours have learned to eat - admittedly with considerable difficulty - from our seed and suet feeders.  This presumably gives them quite an edge over doves that are restricted to feeding on the ground.
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