The turtle dove is a type of bird found across Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. Turtle doves belong to the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. There are several different species of turtle dove, but the most common is the European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur. The European turtle dove is migratory, breeding in Europe during the spring and summer and then migrating south to spend the winter in Africa. Turtle doves prefer open countryside with trees and bushes. They build delicate nests in trees and lay two white eggs. Turtle doves feed mainly on seeds and grains from farmland. Their characteristic cooing sound is a familiar summer noise across rural Europe. However, due to habitat loss and hunting, turtle dove populations have declined sharply in recent decades. Turtle doves are now considered vulnerable to extinction. Conservation efforts are underway to try and protect remaining turtle dove populations and habitats.
What do turtle doves look like?
Turtle doves are petite birds around 28cm long from beak to tail. They have a slender body shape with a small head and thin neck. Their wings are broad, pointed, and triangular. Turtle doves have predominantly grey-brown plumage on their back and wings. The underside of their body is pinkish-grey with black scaled markings on the breast. The sides of their neck display black and white stripes. Another distinctive feature is the black and white pattern on their tail feathers. Turtle doves have a black beak with a light blue-grey patch around their eyes. The iris of their eyes is red. Male and female turtle doves look similar, although females may be slightly paler in color. Juvenile birds have a browner complexion overall.
When perched, turtle doves display a characteristic forward-hunched posture with their chest puffed out. In flight, their wings make a sharp whistling sound. Turtle doves walk quickly on the ground with bobbing head movements.
Where do turtle doves live?
The natural range of European turtle doves is across central and southern Europe, parts of Russia, and through the Middle East to Central Asia. Turtle doves migrate south to spend the winter months in sub-Saharan Africa. The main populations breed across a band of central Europe from Spain and Portugal in the west across to Hungary in the east. Key breeding areas include:
- Spain and Portugal
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Hungary
- Greece
- Turkey
During winter, turtle doves migrate down to countries such as Mali, Chad, and Ethiopia. On their migratory journey, turtle doves stop to rest and feed in places like Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt.
Turtle doves require a mix of open countryside with a mosaic of fields, hedgerows, and trees. They avoid extensive forests and treeless plains. A varied landscape provides vital feeding and nesting resources. Turtle doves have declined sharply in intensively farmed arable landscapes without hedges, trees or fallow land.
What do turtle doves eat?
Turtle doves are strict herbivores, feeding exclusively on seeds and grains. During summer on the breeding grounds, turtle doves primarily eat seeds from cereal crops like wheat, barley, and oats. They also feed on seeds from fallow land, hedgerows, and grasslands. Common food plants include fumitory, knotgrass, clovers, mallows, and vetches. Turtle doves use their strong beak to husk and crush seeds.
During winter in Africa, turtle doves switch to eating more wild grass and cereal seeds. Favorites include wild millet and sorghum. They continue supplementing their diet with cultivated grains where available. In the Sahel region, turtle doves rely more on tiny grass seeds. Throughout the year, turtle doves need access to small stones and grit. These help grind up food in their gizzard. Limited grit availability may be another factor in the decline of turtle dove numbers.
Turtle dove nesting and reproduction
Turtle doves breed in spring and summer across Europe. They form monogamous breeding pairs. The male attracts a mate by flying up high and then descending in a rollercoaster display flight whilst calling loudly. Turtle doves may mate for life.
The female builds the nest out of thin twigs, stems, and grasses. Nests are flimsy structures placed in the fork of a tree or shrub 2-10m above ground. Eggs are laid in late April to June with a peak in May. The female lays two white oval eggs which she incubates alone for 14-18 days until they hatch.
Both parents feed the chicks with regurgitated ‘crop milk’ – a nutritious substance formed in their crop organ from digested seeds. After 3-4 days, the parents switch to feeding the chicks seeds and grain. It takes about 15-19 days for the chicks to fledge and leave the nest. Turtle doves produce up to three broods per breeding season.
Nesting success is highly dependent on habitat quality and food availability on the breeding grounds. Nest failure or chick starvation are common during periods of cold spring weather or drought. Predation of eggs and young by corvids like jays, magpies, and crows is another issue.
Turtle dove calls and sounds
The most characteristic sound of the European turtle dove is a soft, rhythmic cooing: “coo Coo-coo-coo”. This is the male’s mating call used to attract females and defend territories. Other common vocalizations include a harsh growling “krruh-krruh” noise used as an alarm call and a loud wing-clapping sound in flight. Young turtle doves emit a pleading call of “piu-piu” when begging for food from their parents.
Here are some key facts about turtle dove calls:
- The male’s spring mating call is a distinctive, melodic cooing sound which earned the turtle dove the nickname “the bird with the human voice”.
- Each male has a unique cooing rhythm allowing males and females to identify individuals by call alone.
- Males sing most actively between April and June during courtship and mate attraction.
- The cooing song is mainly used on the breeding grounds; turtle doves are mostly silent on the wintering grounds.
- Cooing is produced both in flight and whilst perched with puffed out chest.
- In late summer, the cooing is replaced by a harsh growling krruh-krruh alarm call.
- The wing-clapping sound made during flight acts as a warning to other doves.
- Turtle dove coos are most frequent early morning and late evening.
Turtle dove migration
European turtle doves are strongly migratory birds. They make an epic annual migration between their European breeding areas and sub-Saharan African wintering grounds. Turtle doves spend winter from October to February south of the Sahara Desert in Africa. From March to September, they return north to breed in Europe.
This mammoth return journey covers distances of 5,000 – 10,000 km. Migrating flocks fly across the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert fueled by fat reserves and need periods of rest and feeding along the route in places like Morocco and Egypt. The timing and route of migration varies by population:
- Western European populations migrate via Spain and Morocco.
- Central populations cross through Italy and Tunisia.
- Eastern groups fly via Greece and Egypt.
Young turtle doves make their first return migration alone when only a few months old. Many birds use the same wintering sites each year. However, migratory routes and fuelling stops are threatened by habitat change and hunting. Collisions with powerlines and buildings also take a toll. The difficulties turtle doves now face on migration are considered a significant factor in their decline.
Turtle dove status and conservation
Turtle doves have experienced severe population declines since the 1970s. Europe has lost over 90% of its breeding turtle doves in recent decades. The species is now globally threatened and recognised as Vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. In the UK, turtle doves are on the critical Red List.
Reasons for the turtle dove decline include:
- Intensified agriculture – loss of varied mosaic farmland habitats.
- Increased use of herbicides reducing food availability.
- Lack of suitable nesting habitat.
- Hunting pressure, particularly around the Mediterranean.
- Droughts in the wintering grounds.
Conservation efforts for turtle doves focus on:
- Creating suitable breeding habitat in agricultural areas.
- Leaving cultivated strips around field margins to provide food.
- Planting hedgerows and trees to provide nest sites.
- Protecting roosting and feeding sites on the migration routes.
- Working with hunters to reduce shooting pressure.
- Monitoring turtle dove movements and ecology using tagging and tracking.
Hope remains that with coordinated conservation action across Europe and Africa, turtle dove numbers can be recovered from the brink.
Fun facts about turtle doves
- Turtle doves feature in ancient Greek myths and legends.
- Their cooing is mentioned in the Bible.
- Turtle doves appear in paintings by famous artists like Picasso.
- A pair of turtle doves traditionally symbolize love and fidelity.
- Turtle doves were eaten as food in England until the late 1800s.
- Turtle dove broth was once considered a delicacy.
- Killing or capturing turtle doves in Europe now carries heavy fines.
- Turtle dove numbers at Wicken Fen nature reserve in England rose from 9 to 148 breeding pairs with habitat management.
- Turtle doves have special adaptations to survive in the dry Sahel region during winter.
- Collisions with power lines is a major cause of death for migrating turtle doves.
Conclusion
In summary, the European turtle dove is a small migratory pigeon recognized by its delicate gray plumage and melodious cooing call. Once abundant across Europe during summer, turtle dove populations have declined catastrophically due to agricultural intensification, habitat loss, and hunting. Conservation efforts to restore suitable breeding habitat and stop illegal killing are underway. More action is still urgently required to prevent the extinction of these soft-plumaged birds once immortalized by writers and artists across the centuries for their steadfast loyalty and devotion. With timely help, turtle doves may thrive again in the countryside where their gentle cooing has traditionally signaled the arrival of spring.