Max Kasparek Orn. Verh. 25: 241-282

Distribution and expansion of the Collared Dove in the Near and Middle East

Until 1935 the continous distribution of the Collared Dove only reached westwards as far as Seistan and Beluchistan. In addition, there were three other isolated areas but they were not connected to each other: Mesopotamia, around the Dead Sea, and in the Balkans and Western Anatolia. Some isolated single occurrences had also been reported, e.g. from Isfahan, Antakya, and Cyprus. Such a disjunct pattern of distribution can only be explained through introductions with man (an anthropochoric distribution).

The oldest indications of the birdīs occurrence are from Mesopotamia in 1700 BC and from Istanbul in the 16^th century. From Europe and south-west Asia the earliest undisputed records date only from the middle of the 18^th century, from Antakya and Aydin. By the time that ornithological research began in the 19^th century, the range of the Collared Dove in the Balkans and Western Anatolia was already what it was in about 1935, when the expansion into Europe began.

The attachment between Turks and the Collared Dove was, contrary to the prevailing view, no closer than it was among Christians, so that its naturalisation was not necessarily due to this ethnic group. It has been shown that it was kept as a cage bird by Greeks, Bulgars, Turks, Persians and Arabs. As it does not easily breed in captivity, specialised keepers had to take charge of breeding. In 16^th century Istanbul, it was the custom to release caged doves on specific feast days, as a good deed. This could have been the means whereby the Collared Dove was able to build up a wild population.

During the 20^th century the Collared Dove expanded its breeding range considerably through the Near and Middle East: since the 1950s at least, it has been steadily increasing its range to the east in Turkey so that most of Inner Anatolia has now been colonised, the Mesopotamian centre has been absorbed, and isolated occurrences have been recorded in Eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea region. The Tukish breeding population has now reached the Caucasus region, into which the Collared Dove migrated from the north during the 1970s. In Syria, since the middle of the 1970s, the Collared Dove has become established in the valleys of the Euphrates and the Khabur, since the early 1980s in the desert oases (Palmyra), and in the 1990s in the cities of the Meditteranean. On Cyprus, the population of Collared Doves has expanded rapidly since the 1980s and now covers the entire island. Since the 1970s a surge of expansion from the Dead Sea area has been recorded, which has now reached the Nile and the Western Desert on the one hand and Saudi Arabia on the other. The range in Mesopotamia has also been expanding since the 1950s, more rapidly so since the 1970s. Considerable territory has been gained in Qatar, Bahrain and in the United Arab Emirates. In the meantime the Collared Dove has reached Oman where a population increase and range expansion have been observed since the 1970s (or even earlier).

The individual phases of expansion have been completely independent events, with different points of origin, different directions, and largely independent chronologies. The three breeding areas in Europe and south-west Asia that were anthropochoric in origin (Mesopotamia, Israel/Palestine, Western Anatolia/Balkans) were the points of origin for these dispersal movements. These three have now merged into a single area.

Tino C. Mischler Orn. Verh. 25: 281-302

Ornithological tourism as a contribution to document oriental birds

The annotated checklist for 4 northern Indian and 2 southern Nepal national parks gives maximum numbers and probability of encounter for 470 bird species. Local tourist offices which offer bird watching and nature study tours could channel the accumulated bird data sets into scientific evaluation for the benefit of park management and conservation authorities.

Detlef Robel und Dietmar G. W. Königstedt Orn. Verh. 25: 303-318

Field identification of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus and Himalayan Griffon G. himalayensis

The differentiation of the twin species Griffon Vulture and Himalayan Griffon can lead to considerable problems in field identification in areas of sympatric distribution. Obvious misidentifications contribute to the Himalayan Griffonīs status as breeding bird in Mongolia.

Both species are very similar. Their flying shape is characterized by long and broads wings with fingered primaries, a small head, a short and broad tail and a significant embayment in the area of the innermost primaries. Possible differences are the number of the free-ending primaries during soaring: seven primaries in the Griffon Vulture and six (only exceptionally seven) in the Himalayan Griffon, resulting in small differences in the proportions of the wings. The Griffon Vulture has broader, the Himalayan Griffon narrower wing ends, which seem a little bit pointed. The adult Griffon Vulture has a dark back, brownish undertail coverts and a downy, whitish-yellow ruff. The Himalayan Griffon has a whitish back, rump, upper- and undertail coverts. The ruff is brownish with long shattered feathers. The most important identification character is the colour of the underwing coverts. These are brown with narrow pale lines in the Griffon Vulture and white in the Himalayan Griffon with strongly contrasting black remiges.

The general impression of a young Himalayan Griffon is mostly dark with broad and pale shaft lines below. The underwing-coverts are partly brightened with little pronounced bands, therefore reminding an adult Griffon Vulture. The young Griffon Vulture is mostly coloured rusty-brownish with distinct pale shaft lines below. The ruff consists of lanceolate feathers in contrast to the adults. The underwing coverts are mostly pale-brownish, sometimes with washed out bands. In colour and contrast, juvenile and immature Griffon Vultures resemble an adult Himalayan Griffon. The border along the great underwing-coverts is not sharp and washed-out in contrast to the adult Himalayan Griffon with well demarcated black and white areas and white (not brown) axillaries. Furthermore note the colour of the undertail-coverts which are dark in the immature Griffon Vulture but pale in the adult Himalayan Griffon.

Armin Vidal Orn. Verh. 25: 321-322

Distribution of Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto in Morocco.

The present occurrence of Collared Dove in Morocco is shortly described; S. decaocto has spread from the towns of the north particularly along the Atlantic coast to the south. In 12^th and 13^th of June, 1995, the author found the species also in the nearby interior and in Marrakech, 150 km E of the Atlantic coast and 350 km SW of Meknès where S. decaocto was recorded the first time in 1986.