Fun Barbary Dove Facts For Kids

The Barbary dove range has varied throughout the decades. Although these originated in Africa, they were later bred domestically in the Caribbean Islands and some were released from captivity. Those who were not released found a way to escape confinement. These birds settled in the United States and can now be found in the states and cities of Florida, Los Angeles, Illinois, and California. Relocation has never been a problem for them since they are herbivorous birds, meaning they have never had to search vigorously for food. Their primary food is seeds, corns, and millets. As a result, their food search has never been a barrier to their geographic range.

Want to know about other behavior patterns of the Barbary dove? Then keep reading these amazing facts about the bird. For more similar content, check out the Grenada dove and marbled godwit.

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What type of animal is a Barbary dove?

The Barbary dove, also known as the ringneck dove, is a type of dove bird.

What class of animal does a Barbary dove belong to?

The ringneck dove belongs to the class Aves.

How many Barbary doves are there in the world?

The exact population of ringneck doves remains unknown, but it is assumed that ringneck doves have a small population. Ringneck doves are a domesticated form of collared doves and the population of collared doves stands at 230,000 pairs.

Where does a Barbary dove live?

A ringneck dove has its origin in Africa. In earlier times, ringneck doves were native to the Pescadores Islands. In the Caribbean Islands, breeding of ring-necked doves was once done in captivity. Some of these captive birds escaped and fled elsewhere. They then took shelter in the United States of North America. Within the United States, they can be found in California, Los Angeles, and southern parts of Florida. They can also be seen in the form of groups or colonies in Illinois.

What is a Barbary dove's habitat?

The Barbary or ringneck dove (Streptopelia risoria) is a domesticated form of wild doves. Its sister species, the African collared dove, is also wild, and these wild doves are inhabitants of grasslands or scrublands. The ringneck dove does not have many requirements for habitat. They can be kept in captivity in a space of about 35.3 sq ft (1 sq m). There should just be ample space for them to flap and extend their wings so that they don't lose their ability to fly. Ringneck doves can quickly adapt to aviaries.

Who do Barbary doves live with?

Barbary or ringneck doves (Streptopelia risoria) live in flocks that are known as colonies. They pair up with the opposite gender during breeding.

How long does a Barbary dove live?

On average, ringneck doves can live for about 12 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The ringneck dove is an iteroparous birds, meaning they can breed for more than one season. An iteroparous bird also lays multiple eggs in the form of a clutch. It is not known if this bird pairs up with only one partner or multiple ones. Ring-necked doves build their nest using sticks and within this nest, the female lays a couple of eggs. These eggs are incubated by both the female and the male bird. If females are kept together, their eggs are incubated together by the dove. Ring-necked female doves feed the young hatchlings with dove milk. At times, female birds also take care of chicks of other dove birds such as mourning doves.

What is their conservation status?

Ring-necked doves are listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. It can be assumed that this bird's population is not at risk.

What do Barbary doves look like?

They have a warm tone to their plumage that is a creamy buff color. A black ring encircles their neck. The color of the feathers beneath their tail, belly, and chin is whitish. Each wing is a light shade of gray. Moreover, the feathers at the tip of the wing are even a lighter shade of gray. They have purplish-red feet, while their eyes are red in color.

How cute are they?

These ring-necked doves look very cute. Their cream-colored plumage and feathery bodies make them look adorable.

How do they communicate?

Ring-necked dove birds use their sense of touch, vision, sound, paired with chemical signals to communicate. The Barbary dove call can be seen in both male and female birds. They have a a pleasant call which sounds like 'koo', 'kooroo-wa' or 'koo, krroo'. They also have a specific call for when they are excited, demarcated by the 'coo' sound, or are nesting. These birds have something known as the display call as well. The male bird executes excitement or display calls while attracting a female bird. Both of these calls have a 'coo' sound. Birds that are female call in a lower voice and a 'rr' sound is prominent in the call of the bird. This bird also performs an act of display that involves quickly going up in the air while flapping its wings. It is then followed by a descent that is coupled with an extended tail and wings.

How big is a Barbary dove?

These ring-necked birds (Streptopelia risoria) are 11.4-11.8 in (29-30 cm) long. They are longer than the Inca dove.

How fast can a Barbary dove move?

The speed at which these birds flies is not known. However, other species of dove birds are usually fast fliers.

How much does a Barbary dove weigh?

This domesticated collared species of dove weighs 5.3-5.6 oz (150.2-160 g ). They are almost the same size as the Eurasian collared dove.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male birds are known as cocks, whereas females birds are called hens.

What would you call a baby Barbary dove?

Baby birds are called chicks.

What do they eat?

This species of doves feeds on corn, wheat, hemp seeds, millet, sunflower seeds, and niger seed.

Are they dangerous?

No, this species of dove is not dangerous.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, this domesticated species of wild doves make great pets. They are pet birds who live in captivity and this pet has a herbivorous diet. This means that it is a harmless and low-maintenance pet. It is a good idea to keep a pair of these birds. Not only will these help in breeding, but they will also keep each other company.

Did you know...

The Barbary dove is a domesticated species of the collared dove. The collared dove is known to be monogamous. It can be assumed that they mate for life. They are friendly creatures and they symbolize peace, friendship, hope, and salvation.

After a dove loses its mate, it still tries to look after its lost mate. The bird keeps on returning to the place where its partner died. However, the dove moves on after a considerable amount of time.

What are the different types of dove found?

The different species of doves consist of the Eurasian collared dove, Inca dove, ruddy ground dove, white-winged dove, spotted dove, common ground dove, white-tipped dove, and mourning dove.

Are Barbary doves friendly?

Unlike wild doves, friendly nature is the characteristic of a Barbary dove. Ring-necked doves are friendly towards other doves as well as humans.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Old German Owl Pigeon and Green Junglefowl pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Barbary dove coloring pages.

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