Turtle Doves

The Turtle Dove is smaller and slighter in build than many other doves and can be recognised by its distinctively mottled chestnut/cinnamon and black upperparts and the black-and-white-striped patch on the side of its neck. The tail is notable as the bird flies, being wedge shaped with a dark centre and white borders and tips.

The Turtle Dove is a bird of open country rather than dense woodlands and frequently feeds on the ground. It is usually extremely timid, probably due to the heavy hunting pressure it faces during migration.

The Turtle Dove is one of the latest migrants and rarely appears in northern Europe before the end of April, returning south again to south Africa in September. The arrival in spring is heralded by its purring song, a rather deep, vibrating “turrr, turrr”, from which the bird's name is derived.

The Turtle Dove has suffered a substantial population decline in recent years. This is partly because changed farming practices mean that the weed seeds and shoots on which it feeds are more scarce and partly due to the shooting of birds in Mediterranean countries during their migration.

Date: 7th May 2015

Location: Evros Delta (west), East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece