Keywords
Inca Dove, Arkansas, range expansion
Abstract
Formerly a bird of Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States, the Inca Dove (Columbina inca) has been expanding northward across North America in the past few decades. It first appeared in Arkansas on October 26, 1968 in Saratoga, Howard County. Since then, the statewide range has grown to include at least 36 of 75 counties and is expanding. With the use of Christmas Bird Counts, Breeding Bird Surveys, and two citizen science sources, eBird and AR-Birds, we compiled 368 records of the species in the state. Inca Doves were observed year-round in Arkansas and are expanding its range in the state at an average rate of about one new county every 7 years and 1 new annual encounter about every year. An overview of its overall range in North America indicates that there is enough data to warrant a redrawing of the range map for the species to include most of Arkansas.
Recommended Citation
Kannan, Ragupathy; Jackson, Jack; and Brooks, Ethan
(2019)
"History and Current Status of the Inca Dove (Columbina inca) in Arkansas,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 73, Article 14.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.54119/jaas.2019.7308
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol73/iss1/14