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Critters articles are inspired by the photographs I’ve taken, or will take when prompted by the editor, as is with this story about the Mourning Dove. The editor sent me a Facebook post illustrated with a beautiful Mourning Dove… and the caption had “Keys” written all over it… “this bird thrives with basic amenities such as gravel driveways and shallow water.” That crunchy coral rock driveway is actually health food, as the doves need to swallow small stones to help them grind up the seeds in their gizzard.  The Eurasian collared dove are a pale, grayish tan. I looked in my library, and I didn’t have pictures, probably because these doves were so common, I overlooked them. No problem, they are always in my yard. In just a few minutes I had obtained photos for the article. I uploaded them to the website iNaturalist, a site where I load my nature photos for positive identification. The online community responded within a day, identifying my dove as “Eurasian-Collared Dove.” (Streptopelia decaocto) or ECD. A learning moment… I thought the ECD were Mourning Doves.  Here Eurasian collared doves feeding in groups on the ground. ECD have plump bodies, small heads, long tails and pale, chalky, grayish-tan feathers. The ECD gets it’s name from the half round black collar on the back of its neck. Mourning Doves have a long pointed tail with white outer feathers; they have a fleck of black markings on their wings and are a warmer, pinkish-brown. After more research I learned that aside from their coloration and markings, they had different, but similar calls. I was incorrect in thinking the koo-KOO-koo call was of the Mourning Dove. But no! The koo-KOO-koo is of the ECD, and is shorter and more frequent than the Mourning Dove’s call of coo-AHH, coo-coo-coo which comes from the male sitting on his “cooing perch” letting females know he is available.  The ECD species name “decaocto” comes from Greek mythology. Decaocto was a servant girl transformed by the Gods into a dove, to escape her dreadful treatment; the dove’s mournful cry references her former life. Obtaining photos of the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) was becoming a greater challenge. Each time I’d venture out, I’d return with more ECD photos. I was beginning to think the Mourning Dove did not exist. A birder told me that ECD definitely outnumber the Mourning Doves, but to look at the power lines or maybe construction sites to find them foraging on the ground.  Mourning doves have fleck of black markings on their wings and are a warmer, pinkish-brown. After several days of hunting I finally spotted a few Mourning Doves in my yard. The Mourning Doves were under the bird feeder, cleaning up the seeds dropped there. Doves are the perfect clean-up crew. While the Cardinals and Blue Jays are careless feeders, allowing seeds to drop, the doves are content to forage on the ground below. A few more Mourning Doves were spotted on the loose brown mulch, their coloration made them blend in very well. They were very skittish, kept their distance and took flight when I got too close, but luckily I got some photos. The ECD are invasive and becoming more common. The ECD have come a long way from their origin in India around 1600; from there they migrated to Turkey, and by 1945 had made it to Germany. By 1955 they had spread to England and most of Europe. The ECD population here stems from a 1970 Bahamian pet shop escape of about 50 doves, that made their way to Florida around 1980, and with up to six broods a year, they rapidly colonized North America. They have adapted very well to living among people, and are easy to spot if you take the time to look.  You will often see Mourning doves grazing on the ground for seed  This story is important to tell because it points to the level of awareness and appreciation we have as humans for the natural world. Think of what happens when you go outside with awareness: Step number one, you hear something or see movement in the brush. Step two, you try to identify it… it is something small, what color is it? … a lizard? or is it a bird? Step three… you ask what is it doing? Is it feeding? It is eating a worm? What kind of worm…. And so forth. We all lie on some part of the “curiosity spectrum.” Now when I hear a dove, I am trying to decide if it is koo-KOO-koo (ECD) or coo-AHH, coo-coo-coo (Mourning dove). And to make life interesting we also have White-winged doves, the Common Ground Dove, and White Crowned Pigeons in our area. In time, as we get to explore more in nature, we become more knowledgeable. It all starts with appreciation, active observing, or even a challenge. 
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To prey or to pray…. That is the question. English is a very confusing language. Both words sound the same, yet present very different meanings, all depending on the context in which they are used. There is preying and praying in a photograph of a Great egret fishing beside a makeshift cross. An egret preys on sea critters, where locals pray on Sunday morning.  A Great egret preys on sea critters, while locals come here to pray. Around the turn of the 21st Century... about 23 years ago... a restaurant and watering hole existed in Rock Harbor, called the Mandalay. A casual spot with cold beer, peel and eat shrimp and views of the ocean and boat moorings. A cross erected at the point was the focal point for Sunday morning open air church services. Around the turn of the 21st Century… about 23 years ago… a restaurant and watering hole existed in Rock Harbor, called the Mandalay. A casual spot with cold beer, peel and eat shrimp and views of the ocean and boat moorings. A cross erected at the point becomes the focus of worshippers who sit at those same tables and chairs during Sunday morning open air church services. The Great Egret (Ardea alba egretta) is a three foot tall, long-legged wading bird that is often confused with a similar looking white bird the 'Great White Heron' (the white form of Great Blue Heron.) Though both birds are herons, a simple way of differentiating between the two big white birds is the Great egret has black legs, and the Great white heron’s legs are yellow. The male Great egret also sports delicate ornamental feathers down it’s back when in mating plumage. Those beautiful feathers not only attract female mates, but nearly led to a human-driven extinction of the species. Around the turn of the 20th Century, a ton and a half of Great egret plumes, known as “aigrettes” were sold in London to decorate women’s hats. In terms of birds slaughtered, 200,000 adult birds, multiplied by 2-3 times, counting the eggs abandoned in the nest, became prey to the millinery industry.  The Great Egret by John James Audubon is shown in the marshes, preying on crayfish. In 1902 John James Audubon worried that “the long plumes of this bird being in request for ornamental purposes, they are shot in great numbers while sitting on their eggs, or soon after the appearance of the young.” It is hard to imagine a time when birds were so plentiful, they could be sacrificed for vanity and decoration, rather than be admired for their beauty and role in the natural world. The modern day National Audubon Society’s logo is of a Great egret in flight, representing the organization’s role in enacting conservation laws to protect the species and ensure it’s return.  The Great egret can be found in fresh or salt water habitat. Here a flock of egrets and other long-legged wading birds, hunt for fish, frogs and other small fare. Great egrets are equally at home in fresh or salt water environments. They have also been successful at adapting to life in an increasingly developed world. Egrets can often be seen foraging in roadside ditches, or along suburban roads. They typically stand motionless, and with keen eyesight that can look straight ahead as well as downward, patiently wait until unsuspecting prey comes their way. Then with lightning fast reflexes, the long necked egret strikes with a jab of their sharp bill. To quote Winnie the Pooh … “Which is more important, the voyage or the destination?” Piglet replied “The company.” For me the voyage and the company are of equal importance, especially in the Florida Keys when wildlife appears.  I had to do a double take, was this standing bird a new variety of plastic yard art in the genre of the pink flamingo? Then it moved, revealing a real live egret preying on lizards in the hedge. Sometimes the voyage is the destination, such as the day I photographed an egret hunting beside the road. I stopped and silently observed; luckily I was in a golf cart and not worried about traffic. I watched the scene unfold through the lens, because that is what photographers do. And bam! The once motionless egret produced a nice lizard snack from within the foot high greenery. If I hadn’t stopped, I wouldn’t have known. The voyage and the company of the egret became the experience. It also became the experience for the man in cart stopped behind me. I apologized… he waved that off, “You’re working” he responded. Nice man. So how about the people that don’t venture out in nature, or never pay attention to wildlife? That is part of why I write, to pique the interest of the unknowing or unaware. You cannot fault someone for doing the wrong thing if they do not have the facts or the understanding.  Suddenly the egret darts into the foliage and emerges with his lizard prize.  The Great egret walks with its neck extended and wings held close.  According to the prevailing view in 1900, a man could kill a bird for its feathers in order to put food on the table. The context of his preying was to feed his family, and there were plenty of birds.
How does that relate to the year 2026? There is an unrelenting population influx to Florida. It is the wild west in many respects, where every man has a right to do what he wants with his property. But will those decisions be morally right? The people of the State of Florida should enact a state-wide comprehensive plan encompassing development, roads, housing, and quality of life, before adding more people to the mix. A healthy environment means better quality of life, and happier people. Prior environmental commitments such as “Florida Forever” should be funded, and projects completed. Is that too much to ask? Maybe it is time to pray for something greater. As a loyal Florida Gators football fan, I always root for the Gators and anyone playing against Florida State. It’s never easy watching your favorite team on a losing trajectory, especially after living through their glory years, including National Championships in 1996, 2006 and 2008. So when in 2025 University of Miami defeated Florida State football team, I rooted for the Miami Hurricanes. When Miami found itself in the 2026 National Championship, I was leaning toward Miami, but open to Indiana whose quarterback Mendoza has deep Miami family ties, and is a very good guy. It was a good game, ending with Indiana winning after intercepting a Miami pass, stopping a Miami scoring drive. Not particularly fond of the Hurricanes quarterback, I figured the good guys won.  The scarlet ibis has a long, curved bill which it uses to probe in the mud for insects, crustacean, frogs and fishes. The Miami Hurricanes mascot is the White Ibis named Sebastian. Though Sebastian looks a bit like a duck, an ibis is a way better mascot than a “hurricane.” What kind of dance would a hurricane do? Would it run around and expel wind? The mascot was chosen by the student body in 1926. According to legend, the ibis exhibits bravery (or stupidity) as it is the last bird to depart the area in advance of a hurricane. As the storm passes the ibis is the first to reappear, exhibiting resilience. The ibis is often called the hurricane bird, or the storm bird, as they keep an eye on the weather. They are an unofficial storm warning system, especially when you see a lot of them flocked together.  Wading in shallow water, in search of marine worms and other aquatic creatures. The White ibis (Eudocimus albus) is the most numerous wading bird in South Florida and in the Everglades. It is found from the southern half of the US East Coast (Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia), along the Gulf Coast states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas) and south through most of the Caribbean coastal regions of Central America. Their breeding range runs along the Gulf and Atlantic Coast, and the coasts of Mexico and Central America. The White ibis doesn’t mind being in urban settings. It is becoming more of a suburban bird, and can be found almost everywhere the Florida Keys, Homestead, Redlands, Naples, road margins, artificial ponds, downtown Miami, and, yes, at the University of Miami campus where they congregated long before there was population in Miami to attend one.  Juvenile and mature ibis. The ibises call sounds like a foghorn… nothing pretty about it. They croak and quack, like a duck with nasal congestion. They walk in shallow pools, slowly with their heads down, sweeping their bill from side to side, looking for crabs, crustaceans, marine worms, frogs, fish and other wetland creatures. They traverse backyards and road shoulders, probing as they go, capturing by touch worms and insects found in the ground cover. Thousands nest annually on a small island at Crandon Park near Key Biscayne. In the morning and evening you can see them flying overhead, heading to and from their feeding grounds in yards and parks. Within eye and earshot of a bustling populated Miami, these ibis are a testament to adaptiveness.  Reflection of a juvenile while ibis. Adult White ibis are easy to recognize by their bright white feathers, pinkish-red bill, and curved posture. Immature White ibis are brown with a white belly. There is another ibis who is cousin to the White ibis called the Scarlet ibis. The Scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) looks exactly like the White except is is bright red, and is the only shorebird with red coloration in the world. It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. It is numerous in Central and South America, and the Caribbean.  Ibis are social birds, traveling in groups. They are spooked by my presence and the camera. The Scarlet ibis is red because they eat of lot of red crustaceans. I photographed the Scarlet ibis at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida. The aviary there is 20 foot tall and 4,000 square foot, and visitors walk among the birds as they wade in ponds, and roost in trees within the enclosure. Natural threats to the ibis include jaguars (haven’t seen to many of them lately…unless you are referring to the vehicle) and birds of prey. A greater threat is due to population growth and loss of habitat, though they are adapting. Or if you are a Miami fan, the White ibis was overpowered by the “red” of Indiana. Go Gators. I actually think my Florida Gators can jump out of the water and chomp on the ibis… but that is for another year.  A flock of mature white ibis. |
CAROL ELLIS
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