Eurasian Collared-Doves in Michigan

Eurasian Collared-Doves live in Michigan all year. Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward grain and feeder seed.

Humid continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Across Michigan, Eurasian doves typically nest from March–September. Nest site: flimsy twig platform on buildings or trees. Females lay 2 eggs, incubate for 14–18 days, and young leave the nest after 15–19 days.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

• Eurasian Collared-Doves don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as paper birch for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after September.

Of the regional native plants we track for Michigan, these 8 provide food or cover Eurasian doves use:

Introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970s, it reached nearly every state by 2010.

• Best foods: Millet, Cracked corn, Sunflower.
• In Michigan's winter: Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south.

Full diet breakdown for Eurasian doves · Best feeder for Eurasian doves