Anybody here knowledgable about birds?

[rainroosty]

Here's a link to see many more wonderful Starlings on YouTube:

talk starling - YouTube.

[rainroosty]

Talking Starling! - YouTube

[rifleman]

Originally Posted by rainroosty

^^^ The Starlings are magnificent, intelligent and beautiful birds and they only have "vulgaris" in their Latin name because they need to defecate often.
They are excellent mimics and can be taught to speak human language.

Your dove is a Turtle Dove.

Yes, the starlings are beautiful and excellent mimics, but they do make a mess not unique amongst birds, I'll agree) but their rather aggressive and predatory habits have reduced the native songbird population here by a measurable and visually obvious number.

Starling Problems

or this...,

Starling problems.MP4 - YouTube

or this... (note: very graphic, but his explanation is valid. As well, the previous video, we do not ever have such flocks (≈ 5000?) olivacious flycatchers or flickers or woodpeckers, right? Starlings, though smart ans attractive, are also highly aggressive (as you'll see in this next vid), reproductively prolific, and they regularly displace our native songbirds)


Starling Behavior - Why I Shoot Them - YouTube

This is the Eurasian dove, which has also invaded our areas, to the disadvantage of other native species:



"Invasive species

The Collared Dove was introduced into the Bahamas in the 1970s and spread from there to Florida by 1982. It has become invasive; the stronghold in North America is still the Gulf Coast, but it is now found as far south as Veracruz, as far west as California, and as far north as Alaska, the Great Lakes, and Nova Scotia. Some of the more distantly dispersed records may refer to local escapes from captivity. Its impact on other species there is as yet unknown; it appears to occupy an ecological niche between that of the Mourning Dove and the Rock Pigeon (also an invasive species in North America)."

from:

Eurasian Collared Dove - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also known as the Collared or ring-necked dove. Still a problem invasive and colonizing species, typically displacing others in it's niche.

[GoCUBS1]

I love hawks and eagles. Lots of red-tail hawks around here too. You'll see them perched motionless on the telephone polls overlooking the fields - hunting for small prey. It takes a good eye to see them as they are camouflaged so well. I also see quite a few bald eagles where I stay in Canada. They are all such beautiful birds.

I have a small dog (5 lb. Yorkie) and there have been a few times where I have noticed a big hawk circling our yard while he was out. I am now paranoid that there is a neighborhood hawk waiting to snatch up my dog.

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by GoCUBS1

I love hawks and eagles. Lots of red-tail hawks around here too. You'll see them perched motionless on the telephone polls overlooking the fields - hunting for small prey. It takes a good eye to see them as they are camouflaged so well. I also see quite a few bald eagles where I stay in Canada. They are all such beautiful birds.

I have a small dog (5 lb. Yorkie) and there have been a few times where I have noticed a big hawk circling our yard while he was out. I am now paranoid that there is a neighborhood hawk waiting to snatch up my dog.

Exactly... I have a 5lb dog, and a 10ftx10ft outdoor cage, so she can go do her 'business', and I had to put screen netting over it, as when I saw the turkey vultures circling, I knew it would not be a good outcome if I didn't.

The only time that sort of weirded me out was when I was in my yard, and an owl flew over my head, about 5 feet above me, and I never even heard it coming. They fly dead silent. Sort of creepy, but obviously to their advantage when hunting mice in a field.