Shooting Times & Country – 17 July 2019

Pigeons

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 55

Therockdoveandferalpigeonare
the same species.Rockdoves,
however, are protected.Theancient
rock dove originatesfromthewest
coast of Scotlandandis seeninsmall
fl ocks. It has twoboldblackbarson
its wings and issimilartoa stockdove
in other ways butpalerincolour.Its
rump is much lighteranditsflightis
very fast. You areunlikelytoseea
true rock dove awayfromnorthern
cliff areas.

ROCK DOVE

beat, with slightlymoreflexiblewing
movements. Theslate-bluecolouris
even across itshead,neck,wingsand
back, with shortblackbarsonitswings
and a slightly lighterrump.Inflight,it
gives the appearancethatitswings
are lined in at theedgewithblack.It will
come into decoys.If youthinkit might
be a juvenile woodpigeon,don’tshoot
as it may be a stockdove.

The collared dove has beenprotected

for some time in Northern Ireland and

is now protected under the new general

licences on the UK mainland. It is much

smallerandmoreslenderthan the

woodpigeon,greytosandy in colour,

witha wideterminalbandon its tail.

Itsnameis takenfromitsblack

neckband,whichis clearly visible

inadultbirds.Inflight,thedark

primaryfeatherscontrast

withthelightplumage. The collared

dove is much tamer than a woodpigeon

and commonly seen in pairs in gardens.

When we were permitted to shoot

collared doves, I didn’t, because they

are not at pest proportions near me,

and to my mind they are charming

littlegardenbirds. They are

also,insilhouette at least,

thespeciesmost like the

preciousturtle dove.

Theturtledoveis nowdefinedinterms

ofitsconservationstatusas “red” or

vulnerable.Toshootoneof these is a

sin,notleastbecauseit is so clearly

differenttotheotherspecies.

At24cmto29cmlong,the turtle

doveis almosthalfthelength of the

woodpigeonand,atmost,a third of the

woodpigeon’sweight—85g to 170g,

comparedwithasmuchas 600g for a

woodpigeon.Infact,it is only slightly

largerthana blackbird.

It is mottledchestnutin colour with

a black-and-whitestripedneck. In fl ight,

itsblacktailis noticeablywedge-shaped

witha whiteedge.It hasa gentle purring

call,sadlylittleheardthese days. As a

shootingcommunity,weare well placed

toaidtheturtledovewithseed-rich

mixes specially developed to encourage

this vulnerable migrant.

With the recent developments

surrounding the general licences, it

is more important than ever that we,

the shooting community, are beyond

reproach in our knowledge of the law

and the species in our care. In this

internet age it is incredibly easy to

search for footage of birds in fl ight,

their calls and their habits. As it was

in 1944, so it should be now — be

absolutely sure you have identifi ed your

quarry correctly before you consider

squeezing that trigger.

COLLARED DOVE

TURTLE DOVE

generally low to the ground, but these
are general observations, not hard-
and-fast rules, so as with all species,
if in doubt, don’t shoot.

Stock doves are a

protected species and

easily mistaken for the

shootable woodpigeon

Feral pigeons can

only be shot if

they present

a risk to health

or to crops

The charming collared

dove is protected

and often seen in

pairs in gardens

Only slightly larger

than a blackbird, the

tiny turtle dove is a

UK Red List species