Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) - European Turtle Dove

Subspecies in India

This is also known as the Turtle Dove.

Photo Gallery and Species Biology


This species is uncommon. It inhabits forests and shrublands of semi-arid areas. It is migratory, breeding in central Europe (mainly in Croatia, Netherlands, Poland, and Hungary), Middle East Asia (mainly in Kuwait and Qatar) and Northern regions of Africa (Egypt) at low altitudes (below 500m asl), wintering in South-east Asia (India), Southern Europe and Africa (up to 1300m asl) (BirdLife International 2019).

Conservation Status:

This species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).


According to the IUCN Red List Assessment, the population of this species is declining, with the population estimated 12.8 million- 47.6 million individuals. The threat to its persistence comes from habitat disturbance due to large-scale agriculture and other human encroachments. Adult survival is also low due to hunting along the migratory route and on wintering grounds (BirdLife International 2015).

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Total
BirdLife International 2019. Streptopelia turtur . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T22690419A154373407. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22690419A154373407.en. Accessed on 03 February 2020.


Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) – European Turtle Dove. In Satose, V., A. Bayani, V. Ramachandran, P. Roy, and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 2.17. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.birdsofindia.org/streptopelia-turtur, accessed 2024/12/05.