European Turtle Dove
Streptopelia turtur
Also known as: Turtle Dove, Eurasian Turtle Dove
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Omnivore
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
132 g
About This Species
Listen for a distinctive soft, purring call from scrubby farmland, hedgerows and open woodland edges across its European breeding range; the bird itself is a slim, warm-toned dove with a scaled neck patch, often seen perched on wires or foraging quietly on bare or sparsely vegetated ground. It is a summer visitor, present from late spring to late summer before migrating to sub-Saharan Africa, and is now scarce and localised in much of its former range. Early morning in traditional farmland habitat during the breeding season offers the best chance of a sighting.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species is IUCN Vulnerable, having undergone a severe long-term population decline linked to hunting pressure along its migration routes and loss of farmland habitat, so extra caution is warranted: view from a distance with binoculars rather than approaching, and never linger near a nest or roost site.
- Legal protection status varies significantly across its European, Middle Eastern and African range, including ongoing debate over hunting restrictions in parts of southern Europe, so do not assume any single country's rules apply elsewhere; when in doubt, treat the species as fully protected and keep disturbance to an absolute minimum.
Seasonal Activity
518,647 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
Traits
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 132 g
Photo
(c) winu, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by winu
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.