PROGRAMME for 2025
Our next talk will be hosted on Monday 26th May 2025 at The Barley Mow, 104 Horseferry Rd, London SW1P 2EE. The talk will start at 6.30pm ( doors open at 6.00) aiming to finish at about 7.45pm. If you wish to eat afterwards please place your order in the pub downstairs prior to the talk.
The Founding Feathers of the Barbary Dove Streptopelia risoria. Linnaeus wrote about this bird, “nobis communis Turtur” (our common Turtle Dove), based on the fact that it was commonly kept in Europe. However, despite being common, the Barbary Dove has confused ornithologists, its origin and history having been a long-standing mystery. Although recent DNA work has now proved otherwise, some still consider the Barbary Dove and Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto to be the same species. As a domesticated bird, Barbary Dove has a world-wide distribution, and feral populations can flourish in the right habitats. The Eurasian Collared Dove now also occurs in most parts of the world due to its natural expansive drift, partly with some human help. Where the two species meet, they can hybridise, further confusing the picture. This talk will discuss the Barbary Dove’s true ancestry and consider its impact on current Eurasian Collared Dove populations.
Hein van Grouw is one of the senior Bird Curators at the NHM at Tring. Besides his nearly 30 years as a curator with a huge interest in nomenclature and taxonomy, he is also, like his predecessor Derek Goodwin, a keen bird breeder. He bred his first canaries when he was seven and got his first doves three years later. Since then, he has researched many different colour mutations in domesticated pigeons and different dove species, publishing the results in a variety of journals.
