BTO BirdFacts | Turtle Dove

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur [Linnaeus, 1758]

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Page updated:16-January-2013

	Order: Columbiformes	Family: Columbidae
	BTO Codes: TD, TURDO	EURING No: 6870
	Number in Britain: 44 thousand territories (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: RED
	European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
	Global: (Details)
Links to: Images Videos Sound

Status in UK: (A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: turtur recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 27 cm	Wingspan: 50 cm	Weight: M/F: 140 g

Scientific name from:	Gr.: streptos=a collar + peleia=a dove and L.: turtur=the Turtle Dove
World Distribution:	BREEDS: Europe, c Asia, n Africa, WINTERS: south to c Africa

Habitat:	Open woodland, scrub, gardens
Diet:	Seeds of cereal and weeds
TitBit:	The only migratory dove in Europe, Turtle Doves winter in west Africa gathering in massive roosts of up to 1 million birds; they are remarkably tolerant of heat, having been observed foraging in temperatures of 45°C.

Population and Distribution

	Population Trend:	BirdTrends
	Regional Trends:	England English Regions
	Distribution:	Atlas Maps BBS Maps

British Population Size:

Summer: 44 thousand territories in 2000 Note: Probably now an overestimate Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

First Record: Recorded in Medieval times Bircham, P. 2007. A history of ornithology, Collins. [805 BIR]

Conservation Status: RED because Recent Breeding Population Decline, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 RED Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 RED Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: turtur RED (Recent Decline)

UK Biodiversity Action Plan (Lead Partner: RSPB & EN)

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

No habitat data from BBS

Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:

Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries

Average Day of First Arrival: 20 Apr Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

European Population Size:

Summer: 2.5 to 4.7 million pairs (Trend in Numbers) Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II*)

Survey Results:	Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 30 x 22 mm

Egg Weight: 8.2 g (of which 6 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 21 (more would be welcome!)

Clutch Size: 2 eggs

1.96 ± 0.24 (1 - 3) N = 474 British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

Incubation: 15- 16 days

14.99 ± 0.99 (13 - 16.5) N = 473

by the: Male + Female

Fledging: 18 - 19days

18.28 ± 1.63 (15 - 21) N = 573

as: Altricial, downy Altricial birds remain in the nest, precocial birds leave the nest soon after hatching

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

First Clutches Laid: 12 Jun (15 May - 27 Jul) Joys & Crick 2004 Breeding periods for bird species in England BTO, Thetford

Number of Broods: 2-3

See trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.500
Juvenile Survival: 0.360 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 1 year	Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 11 years 2 months 15 days (set in 1974)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: E
Wing Length	Adult:	178.8 ± 5.2 Range 159.0 - 192.0 mm, (N = 307)
	Juvenile:	165.6 ± 11.8 Range 129.0 - 185.0 mm, (N = 112)
	Male:	180.3 ± 4.4 Range 162.0 - 192.0 mm, (N = 149)
	Female:	176.0 ± 4.6 Range 167.0 - 186.0 mm, (N = 87)

Weight	Adult:	156.5 ± 15.33 Range 92.00 - 216.0 g , (N =232)
	Juvenile:	140.6 ± 22.2 Range 101.0 - 211.9 . , (N =100)
	Male:	157.9 ± 14.19 Range 114.0 - 212.0 g , (N =94)
	Female:	154.7 ± 15.08 Range 92.00 - 183.4 g , (N =70)
	Seasonal:	Summer 156.1 ± 15.32 (N = 379) Autumn 165.5 ± 20.29 (N = 32)
	Source:	British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
European Turtle Dove


Gaelic: Turtar	Welsh: Turtur
Danish: Turteldue	Dutch: Tortel
Finnish: Turturikyyhky	French: Tourterelle des bois
German: Turteltaube	Hungarian: Vadgerle
Icelandic: Turtildúfa	Irish: Fearán
Italian: Tortora	Norwegian: Turteldue
Polish: Turkawka zwyczajna	Portuguese: Rola-comum
Spanish: Tórtola común	Swedish: Turturduva

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Goodwin, D. 1983 Pigeons and doves of the world (3rd ed) Cornell University Press, Ithaca [598.623 GOO]

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur [Linnaeus, 1758]

Population and Distribution

Breeding and Survival

Biometrics

Other Names

For More Information...

BirdFacts