Odd bird spotted along North Shore

University of Texas

Inca dove

An Inca dove, which usually lives in warmer climes, has attracted birders and the curious to chilly Two Harbors.

By Tim Harlow, Star Tribune

Last update: November 14, 2007 - 5:44 PM

A bird that primarily resides in the warm climates of the American South and Southwest and in Mexico has turned up in a most unusual place: the chilly shore of Lake Superior.

A man from Two Harbors, Minn., spotted the Inca dove in his neighborhood in late October, marking the first time the bird, which features a gray-brown body covered in feathers that resemble a scaled pattern, black bill and shades of orange on its wings, had been seen in Minnesota.

Its sighting has attracted avid birders and the curious from all over, said Kim Eckert, a member of the Minnesota Ornithologists Union, a birding club.

"When I first heard about it, I drove up there that afternoon," said Eckert, who lives in Duluth and didn't want to miss seeing the bird. "You never know, it could be gone the next day. It's impossible to tell how long it will stay."

If the bird can survive the cold northeastern Minnesota weather, perhaps it will stay for a while. The bird has received a warm welcome from residents in the town of about 3,600 people.

"People on the block have put food out for it," Eckert said. "I guess in a way they've adopted it."

Eckert said it's not clear how the dove got to Two Harbors, but sometimes the birds wander far out of range during the fall migration.

TIM HARLOW