It is normally found in the more exotic climes of Asia.
But for only the twelfth time since records began, an Oriental Dove has been discovered thousands of miles off course in Shetland.
It was first spotted on Wednesday in a garden in Scalloway, the second time the species has been found on Shetland – the last in 1974 on Fair Isle – and the fifth for Scotland.
The dove is usually found in Russia, Japan, south-east Asia and the Indian sub-continent. Quite why this particular bird decided to veer off course is something of a mystery.
But Josh Jones of the authorative Bird Guides, said it could have been due to recent weather patterns.
“It is well off course – the nearest it usually comes is the Ural Mountains. But there is a good chance it may stick around for a while and could survive the winter and fly off again in the spring,” he said.
The species is very similar in plumage to its smaller European counterpart, the turtle dove. It shares the black and white striped patch on the side of its neck, but the breast is less pink, and the orange-brown wing feathers of the turtle dove are replaced with a browner hue, and darker centres.
