Streptopelia decaocto

There’s a Collared Dove cooing in the garden. Coo-COO-Coo. Again and again. Those three syllables again and again. Coo-COO-Coo.

The Collared Dove’s scientific name is Streptopelia decaocto.

Streptopelia is from the Ancient Greek words streptos meaning ‘collar’ and peleia meaning ‘dove’. Decaocto, is the Greek word for ‘eighteen’. The association of the Collared Dove with the number eighteen is ancient and probably because eighteen is a three syllable word in several languages. I can imagine wondering why a bird was repeatedly calling out eighteen.