Eurasian Collared-Doves in Texas

Eurasian Collared-Doves live in Texas all year. Hard freezes are brief outside the Panhandle, so most feeder birds face heat and drought stress more than cold. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward grain and feeder seed.

Humid subtropical in the east and along the Gulf, semi-arid to arid in the west; long, hot summers and short, mild winters over most of the state.

Across Texas, Eurasian doves typically nest from February–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.

Afternoon highs regularly exceed 95°F — nest boxes need shade or light-colored, ventilated construction, and water matters as much as food.

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

Of the regional native plants we track for Texas, 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 Texas's winter: Hard freezes are brief outside the Panhandle, so most feeder birds face heat and drought stress more than cold.

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