European turtle DOvE

Streptopelia turtur


classification

  • Order: Columbiformes
  • Family: Columbidés
  • Genus: Streptopelia
  • Species: turtur

DescriptOr

  • Linnaeus, 1758

Biometrics

  • Size: 29 cm
  • Wingspan: 47 to 53 cm
  • Weight: 150 to 225 g

Distribution


birdsong

XC : Matthias Feuersenger

It emits a soft, purring “rou-rr” coo, often repeated for long periods.

Find out more about this birdsong


iucn conservation Status


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IDENTIFICATION

In this small turtle-dove, the two sexes are identical. The head and cap are grey-blue, with the feathers on the back of the bonnet and nape often showing vague brown borders. The sides of the neck have white and black stripes in 3 or 4 rows. The scapulars, mantle and wing coverts are reddish-brown but with black feather centres, giving these parts a very scaly appearance. The long, rounded black tail is edged in white, apart from the central rectrices. The blue-grey wing feathers are particularly visible in flight. The neck and breast are pinkish grey. The belly and the rest of the underparts are whitish, lighter than those of the Turtle Dove. The yellow eye is surrounded by a red ring. The beak is dark and the legs pinkish.

Juveniles are duller and brown. The grey of the head and neck, and the purplish of the breast are replaced by dull brown. The pale reddish buff border is narrower on the scapulars, tertiary wing feathers and wing coverts. The black centre of the feathers is less distinct. All these features make the scaly appearance less obvious. The orbital circle is pink rather than red.

HABITAT

From late April to migration in September, turtle doves tend to be found in open landscapes dotted with trees, bushes, hedges and copses. They are often found in thickets bordering farmland, where they seek most of their food. Unlike the Wood Pigeon, the Turtle Dove is rarely found on city buildings. Following its more reserved nature, it prefers to remain in the shelter of medium-sized vegetation.

threat – protection

The species has declined significantly in France since the 1970s. There are two main reasons for this: it is heavily hunted when it visits Mediterranean regions. To this must be added the degradation of its habitat due to the destruction of hedges and the massive use of pesticides in agriculture.

Gallery

Find all the walls

15 walls

Place

14-16 Penpoll Road,
London

Fresque

Hummingbird by Claire Ward Thornton

Par

Claire Ward-Thornton

Oiseau

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Place

Aknīste – Gārsene – Ausmas,
LV-5218 Gārsene,
Lettonie Zemgale

Fresque

Black storks

Par

Anda Lāce

Oiseau

Black Stork

Place

Bruxelles Belgique

Fresque

Turtle Dove

Par

Aurore Vegas

Oiseau

European Turtle Dove

Place

Jarrestraße 20,
22303 Hamburg,
Allemagne

Fresque

COMMON KESTREL

Par

Hanadi Chawaf

Oiseau

Common Kestrel

Place

Lisbonne,
Portugal

Fresque

Vulture & Eagle

Par

Tatiana Saum

Oiseaux

Spanish Imperial Eagle, Cinereous Vulture.

Place

Kišpatićeva ul. 12,
10000,
Zagreb,
Croatie

Fresque

Common Kingfisher

Par

Chez 186

Oiseau

Common Kingfisher

Place

1 Boulevard de Dresde,
67000 Strasbourg,
France Grand Est

Fresque

Eurasian Curlew

Par

Philippe Baudelocque

Oiseau

Eurasian Curlew

Place

Tabor,
1000 Ljubljana,
Slovénie

Fresque

Little Tern

Par

Škart

Oiseau

Little Tern

Place

Roodborststraat 18,
3083 WB Rotterdam,
Pays-Bas

Fresque

The European Robin

Par

Marloes de Kiewit

Oiseau

European Robin

Place

35 Rue du Général Leclerc92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

Fresque

Five birds by Mantra

Par

Mantra

Oiseaux

Common Kingfisher, Barn Swallow, European Goldfinch, Eurasian bullfinch, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

Place

Place Seigneur de Monlezun,
Sempesserre

Fresque

The Red Partridge

Par

Adèle Renault

Oiseau

Red-legged Partridge

Place

Ss Cyril & Methodius 44,
Skopje 1000,
Macédoine du Nord

Fresque

Egyptian Vulture

Par

Dorotej Neshovski

Oiseau

Egyptian Vulture

Place

2 Place des Marseillaises,
Marseille

Fresque

6 Mediterranean and American birds

Par

Fikos

Oiseaux

Eurasian Hoopoe, Western Black-eared Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush.

Place

299 Avenue de l’Adour,
Anglet

Fresque

11 migratory birds of the Basque coast

Par

MioSHe

Oiseau

Common crane

Place

84 Rue du Chemin Vert,
Boulogne-sur-Mer

Fresque

Common Kestrel

Par

Telmo Miel

Oiseau

Common Kestrel