The Oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (''Streptopelia orientalis'') is a member of the

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

family Columbidae. The species has a wide native distribution range from Central Asia east across Asia to Japan. The populations show variations in the patterning of plumage and have been designated into at least six named subspecies. Populations in the higher latitudes tend to migrate south in winter, while those closer to the tropics are sedentary. Vagrants have been recorded in North America. The species is predominantly granivorous and forages on the ground.

Taxonomy

The genus name ''Streptopelia'' is from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''streptos'', "collar" and ''peleia'', "dove". The specific ''orientalis'' is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "eastern", in this case referring to the type locality, China. The species has a wide distribution with geographical variation in plumage that has led to at least six subspecies being designated. The distributions of many are not disjunct and gradation exists except in some island populations. Some of the populations of ''Streptopelia turtur'' that occur on the eastern edge can be very similar in appearance to ''S. orientalis'' and in the past the two species have been lumped together. *western Oriental turtle dove (''S. o. meena'') (

Sykes "Sykes" is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origins, which generally has topographical roots as it original linguistic origin. The name derives from the Old Norse word "sík" or "síkja", meaning a small stream, marshy hollow, or gully. It eventua ...

, 1832) – eastern Asia and Central Asia south to the Himalayas from Kashmir to central Nepal. Winters in India as far south as Sri Lanka. *eastern Oriental turtle dove (''S. o. orientalis'') ( Latham, 1790) – central Siberia to Japan and Korea south to the Himalayas from Assam to Yunnan and northern Vietnam. Winters in South and Southeast Asia (includes ''S. baicalensis'' Buturlin). * ''S. o. stimpsoni'' ( Stejneger, 1887) – the Ryukyu Islands * ''S. o. orii'' Yamashina, 1932 – Taiwan * ''S. o. erythrocephala'' ( Bonaparte, 1855) – southern peninsular India. This subspecies is reddish-brown on the head with no grey on the forehead or crown, unlike the other subspecies. The undertail coverts and terminal tail band are slaty grey. * ''S. o. agricola'' ( Tickell, 1833) – from Orissa and Bengal to northeastern India and into Myanmar south to Hainan The Oriental turtle dove has two distinct migratory northern subspecies, ''S. o. orientalis'' in the central

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

, and ''S. o. meena'' in the open woodlands of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. The differences in the tail patterns of the subspecies ''S. o. orientalis'' and ''S. o. meena'' help separate identification in their wintering grounds. The nominate form is described as having a grey tip to the tail and more black in the outer web of the outer tail feathers, while ''meena'' has a white tip to its tail like the

European turtle dove The European turtle dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is a threatened or vulnerable member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to north ...

and less black in the outer web of the outer tail feathers. However, these are not consistent differences: both forms can have white or grey tail-bands and ''orientalis'' can have little black in the outer webs of the outer tail feathers.

Description

The Oriental dove is very similar in plumage to the Turtle dove. It is a little larger than that species, particularly in the case of ''orientalis'', about the same size as a

collared dove ''Streptopelia'' (collared doves and turtle doves) is a genus of 15 species of birds in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae native to the Old World in Africa, Europe, and Asia. These are mainly slim, small to medium-sized species. The upperpar ...

. It shares the black and white striped patch on the side of its neck made of silver-tipped feathers, but the breast is less pink, and the orange-brown wing

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exa ...

s of the turtle dove are replaced with a browner hue, and darker centres giving a scaly appearance. The tail is wedge shaped, like the turtle dove. The flight is more relaxed and direct than that of its relative. Additionally, the turtle-dove has a bare patch of skin around its eyes, which the oriental dove lacks.

Call

The calls are different from the purring of the European turtle dove. It is a four-syllable ''her-her-oo-oo''. There are significant call differences within the populations as well.

Distribution and habitat

The habitat varies, but the Oriental turtle dove breeds in well-wooded but open habitats and winters in more open habitats but usually with good tree cover. The westernmost race, ''meena'', breeds in the

Western Palearctic The Western Palaearctic or Western Palearctic is part of the Palaearctic realm, one of the eight biogeographic realms dividing the Earth's surface. Because of its size, the Palaearctic is often divided for convenience into two, with Europe, North ...

region. The southernmost populations are resident, but most other birds

migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

south to winter in India, the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

, and southern Japan. They disperse widely and are known from islands such as the Lakshadweep in winter. ''S. o. orientalis'' occurs as a rarity in western

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It is also a vagrant to northern and western Europe and occurrences in Britain tend to gather much attention from twitchers.

Ecology

Breeding

The summer breeding season in the temperate zone can be protracted. In southern India, the breeding season is in winter. In display, the male flaps its wing noisily and shoots up before gliding down with outspread tail. Nests take about two days to build with the male gathering material and the female placing it. The nest is more substantial than in some other doves and is placed at mid-canopy height. In Japan, nests built at a greater height tended to be prone to predation. Males were found to incubate in the day and the female by night. Two white

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

, as for all pigeons and doves, are laid in a twig nest in a tree. Incubation begins immediately after the first egg is laid. The eggs hatch in 15 to 16 days and the chicks take about 15 to 17 days to fledge (in Japan). Both parents feed the altricial chicks with

crop milk Crop milk is a secretion from the lining of the crop of parent birds in some species that is regurgitated to young birds. It is found among all pigeons and doves where it is also referred to as pigeon milk. Crop milk is also secreted from the c ...

. Multiple broods may be raised and nests built by the pair or by others may be reused. Nest reuse may possibly increase the chances of predation. In Japan the principal predators of nestlings and eggs were crows and magpies and to a lesser extent cats and snakes.

Diet

The Oriental turtle dove is granivorous, and feeds on the seeds of

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

sunflower The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the pr ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

and

amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan group of more than 50 species which make up the genus of annual plant, annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some names include "prostrate pigweed" an ...

. It also consumes

gastropods Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and from the land. Ther ...

. They forage on the ground.

Parasites and diseases

Nests in Japan that have accumulated faeces have been found to host a number of flies belonging to the families

Sphaeroceridae Sphaeroceridae are a family (biology), family of true flies in the order (biology), order Fly, Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly subo ...

Sepsidae The Sepsidae are a family (biology), family of Fly, flies, commonly called the black scavenger flies or ensign flies. Over 300 species are described worldwide. They are usually found around dung or decaying plant and animal material. Many species ...

, and

Stratiomyidae The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae, from Greek - soldier; - fly) are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obsolete group Orthorrhapha). The family contains over 2,700 species in over 380 exta ...

. Subcutaneous mites of the species ''Hypodectes propus'' have been recorded in Japan. Deaths of a number of birds due to

avian pox ''Avipoxvirus'' (avian pox) is a genus of viruses within the family ''Poxviridae''. ''Poxviridae'' is the family of viruses which cause the afflicted organism to have poxes as a symptom. Poxviruses have generally large genomes, and other such ex ...

virus have been recorded in South Korea.

Other associations

On Hongdo Island, Korea, migratory doves were found to carry seeds of the exotic ''

Achyranthes japonica ''Achyranthes japonica'', commonly known as Oriental chaff flower or Japanese chaff flower, is a perennial member of the genus ''Achyranthes'' in the family Amaranthaceae. It can be discovered on the roadside and its main distribution is in Korea ...

'' attached to their plumage.

In culture

The

Ainu people The Ainu are an Indigenous peoples, indigenous ethnic group who reside in northern Japan and southeastern Russia, including Hokkaido and the Tōhoku region of Honshu, as well as the land surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Sakhalin, the Ku ...

traditionally interpret bird calls as elaborate sayings in their own language. In the case of these doves, the ascribed saying, an amalgam of several, is as follows: The reason the dove is said to be 'ploughing' is that it is often seen burrowing in the fields with its feet in search of food, and thus appears as such.

Gallery

File:Streptopelia_orientalis1.jpg, Oriental turtle dove File:Orientalturtledove1.JPG, Oriental turtle doves forage on the ground for their food File:Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W IMG 5847.jpg, At Jayanti in

Buxa Tiger Reserve Buxa Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve and national park in northern West Bengal, India, covering an area of . It ranges in elevation from in the Gangetic Plains to bordering the Himalayas in the north. At least 284 bird species inhabit the ...

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is ...

district of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India File:Oriental Turtle Dove RWD.jpg, In Nepal File:Oriental turtle dove in Nepal (79).jpg, In Nepal File:Dove&parrot.jpg, In Uttrakhand, India File:Streptopelia_orientalis_in_Hsinchu_1.jpg, In

Hsinchu City Hsinchu (, ), officially Hsinchu City, is a Provincial city (Taiwan), city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inha ...

, Taiwan File:Streptopelia_orientalis_in_Hsinchu_2.jpg, In

, Taiwan

References

Notes

Bibliography

* "National Geographic" ''Field Guide to the Birds of North'' ''America'' ISBN *''Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 4'', Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN

External links

Bird Research - Oriental Turtle Dove
{{Taxonbar, from=Q704987

Oriental turtle dove The Oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (''Streptopelia orientalis'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae. The species has a wide native distribution range from Central Asia east across Asia to Japan. The populations show variations ...

National symbols of the Maldives Birds of Asia Wintering birds of South Asia

Articles containing video clips