European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Genus · Turtle-Doves and Collared-Doves Family · Pigeons and Doves
Observation tips Difficulty: MODERATE
Best time
🕒 Any
Activity
☀️ Diurnal
Best months
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Observation habitat
BushesForest edgesIsolated trees

Listen for the 'purring' call in early summer. Look for the tortoiseshell pattern on the wings. Any sighting is significant due to their rarity.

European Turtle Dove
Stats
Wingspan47–55 cm
Weight100–180 g
Length24–29 cm
Lifespan wild3–11 yrs
Size
XS
S
M
L
XL
Nesting
Nest typePlatform
Clutch size2 eggs
Incubation13–16 days
Breeding months
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Regional Status (Europe)
VU
Vulnerable (Europe)
IUCN Red List
MigrationMigratory
Social BehaviourMonogamous pairs

Diet: Granivore

🌾Grain
🍃Plants
🌻Seeds

Habitat

🚜 Farmland🌳 Forest deciduous🏜️ Scrub wasteland
✦ Fun Fact

The Turtle Dove is the only long-distance migratory pigeon in Europe. It crosses the Sahara Desert twice every year.

About

A symbol of love and fidelity, but now highly threatened. The Turtle Dove is a summer visitor that arrives from Africa in late April. It is smaller and more colorful than the Collared Dove. It has orange-brown feathers on its wings and black-and-white stripes on its neck. It favors farmland with thick hedges.

Behaviour

The Turtle Dove is famous for its soothing, purring song: 'turrr-turrr-turrr'. Unlike the urban Collared Dove, it is shy and secretive. It feeds on the seeds of wild plants. Populations have declined due to habitat loss and intensive hunting on migration routes.

Similar species

Eurasian Collared Dove
🐦
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Common Wood Pigeon
🐦
Common Wood Pigeon
Columba palumbus
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