The European turtle dove (''Streptopelia turtur'') is a threatened or vulnerable 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
Columbidae is a bird Family (biology), family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the Order (biology), order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in ...
, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
Th ...
including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa to winter.
Taxonomy
The European turtle dove was
formally described
A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...
by the Swedish naturalist
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in 1758 in the
tenth edition
Tenth may refer to:
Numbers
* 10th, the ordinal form of the number ten
* One tenth, , or 0.1, a fraction, one part of a unit divided equally into ten parts.
** the SI prefix deci-
** tithe, a one-tenth part of something
* 1/10 of any unit of me ...
of his ''
Systema Naturae
' (originally in Latin written ' with the Orthographic ligature, ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Sweden, Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the syste ...
''. He placed it with all the other pigeons in the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Columba
Columba () or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey ...
'' and coined the
binomial name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...
''Columba turtur''. The
specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
''turtur'' is the Latin word for a turtle dove. Linnaeus gave the locality as "India". This was an error, and the
type locality has been designated as England. The species is now placed in the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Streptopelia
''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 ...
'' that was introduced in 1855 by the French ornithologist
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857) was a French naturalist and ornithology, ornithologist, and a nephew of Napoleon. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal ...
.
Four
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
are recognised:
[
* ''S. t. turtur'' (]Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
, 1758) – Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands to western Siberia
* ''S. t. arenicola'' (Hartert
Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German people, German ornithologist.
Life and career
Hartert was born in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married ...
, 1894) – Northwest Africa to Iran and western China
* ''S. t. hoggara'' ( Geyr von Schweppenburg, 1916) – Air Massif and Hoggar Mountains
The Hoggar Mountains (; Berber: ''idurar n Ahaggar'') are a highland region in the central Sahara in southern Algeria, along the Tropic of Cancer. The mountains cover an area of approximately 550,000 km2.
The Hoggar Mountains are home to ...
(southern Sahara)
* ''S. t. rufescens'' ( Brehm, CL, 1845) – Egypt and northern Sudan
Despite the identical spelling, the "turtle" of the name, derived from Middle English (, , ), derived in turn from Old English (male turtle dove), (female turtle dove), and ultimately from Latin , has no connection with the reptile of the same name; in the present case, "turtle" came originally from 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 ...
, which is onomatopoeic
Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as ''oink'', '' ...
, imitating the bird's song. 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 ...
meaning "collar", and meaning "dove".
A few other doves in the genus ''Streptopelia'' and the related genus ''Nesoenas'' are also commonly called "turtle doves", while the name ''Turtur
''Turtur'' is a small genus of Columbidae, doves native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Species in this genus are known as wood doves.
The genus ''Turtur'' was introduced in 1783 by the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert to accommodate the blue-spotted woo ...
'' has also been given as a generic name to a less-closely related group of tropical African doves:[
*]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 ...
''Streptopelia orientalis'' in Asia.
*Dusky turtle dove
The dusky turtle dove or pink-breasted turtle dove (''Streptopelia lugens'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.
It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, ...
''Streptopelia lugens'' in Africa.
*Adamawa turtle dove
The Adamawa turtle dove (''Streptopelia hypopyrrha'') is a species of bird in the pigeon and dove family Columbidae. It is also known as the pink-bellied turtle dove. The species is closely related to and has been considered the same species as t ...
''Streptopelia hypopyrrha'' in Africa.
* Malagasy turtle dove ''Nesoenas picturatus'' in Madagascar.
Description
Smaller and slighter in build than many other dove
Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
s, it measures in length, in wingspan and weighs . The European turtle dove may be recognised by its browner colour, and the black-and-white-striped patch on the side of its neck. The tail is notable as the bird flies from the observer; it is wedge-shaped, with a dark centre and white borders and tips. When viewed from below, this pattern, owing to the white under-tail coverts obscuring the dark bases, is a blackish chevron on a white ground. This can be seen when the bird stoops to drink and raises its spread tail.
The mature bird has the head, neck, flanks, and rump blue-grey, and the wings cinnamon, mottled with black. The breast is vinaceous, the abdomen and under tail coverts are white. The bill is black, the legs and eye rings are red. The black and white patch on the side of the neck is absent in the browner and duller juvenile bird, which also has brown legs.
File:2006 1031turturduva0224.JPG, Juvenile in Nynäshamn
Nynäshamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Nynäshamn Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 13,510 inhabitants in 2010.
While interest in the area as a potentially useful port grew from the mid-19th century, it was only ...
, Sweden
File:Tourterelle des bois MHNT.jpg, alt=Egg in the collection of Muséum de Toulouse
The Muséum de Toulouse (, MHNT) is a museum of natural history in Toulouse, France. It is located in the Busca-Montplaisir neighborhood of the city, houses a collection of more than 2.5 million items, and has some of exhibition space. I ...
Streptopelia turtur arenicola MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.232.59.jpg, ''Streptopelia turtur arenicola'' - MHNT
Distribution and habitat
The turtle dove is a migratory species with a western Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
Th ...
range covering most of Europe and the Middle East and including Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and north Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, although it is rare in northern Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
and Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It winters south of the Sahara.[ It is one of the latest migrants, rarely appearing in Northern Europe before the end of April and returning south again in September. Turtle doves are rare ]vagrants
Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...
in North America, with records from Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
and Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
in the United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and an additional record from Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Pierre and Miquelon ( ), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canada, Canadian prov ...
.
It is a bird of open rather than dense woodlands, and frequently feeds on the ground. It will occasionally nest in large gardens, but is usually extremely timid, probably due to the heavy hunting pressure it faces during migration. The flight is often described as arrowy, but is not remarkably swift.
The nuptial flight, high and circling, is like that of the common wood pigeon, but the undulations are less decided; it is accompanied by the whip-crack of the downward flicked wings. The arrival in spring is heralded by its cooing or purr
A purr or whirr is a tonal fluttering sound made by some species of felids, including both larger, wild cats and the domestic cat (''Felis catus''), as well as two species of genets. It varies in loudness and tone among species and in the same ...
ing song, a rather deep, vibrating "".
Status
Populations of turtle dove are in rapid decline across Europe and this species has a red-listed global conservation status. In the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
its numbers have declined by 93% since 1994 and across Europe numbers fell by 78% 1980–2013.[British Trust for Ornithology - Turtle Dove Population in a Tailspin](_blank)
/ref>
Environmentalist groups have attributed the decline of turtle doves in Europe partly to changed farming practices which mean that the weed seeds and shoots on which it feeds, especially fumitory
''Fumaria'' (fumitory or fumewort, from Latin ', "smoke of the earth") is a genus of about 60 species of annual flowering plants in the family Papaveraceae. The genus is native to Europe, Africa and Asia, most diverse in the Mediterranean re ...
, are scarcer, and partly due to shooting of birds in Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
countries. According to a 2001 study cited by the European Commission, between two and four million birds are shot annually in Malta, Cyprus, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. Environmentalists have described spring hunting in Malta as particularly problematic as it is the only country with an EU derogation
Derogation is a legal term of art, which allows for part or all of a provision in a legal measure to be applied differently, or not at all, in certain cases. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working ConditionsDerogation publi ...
to shoot birds during their spring migration to breeding grounds.
According to a 2007 study by the European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
, four currently identifiable potential threats to the turtle dove are (1) habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
/modification (medium to low impact), (2) drought
A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
s and climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
(mostly unknown but likely low impact), (3) hunting
Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
(partly unknown but overall medium impact), and (4) competition with the 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 ...
(unknown impact). The British Trust for Ornithology
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is an organisation founded in 1932 for the study of birds in the British Isles. The William, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales has been patron since October 2020.
History
Beginning
In 1931 Max Nicholson ...
has also highlighted Trichomonosis parasites as a threat to the turtle dove.
A hunting ban was introduced in 2021 by the European Commission in the western Mediterranean countries of France, Spain and Portugal, which resulted in the species starting to undergo population recovery; in summer 2024, there was a 25% increase in the western European breeding population, indicating that hunting was indeed a major contributor to the decline.
In culture
According to Aelian Aelian or Aelianus may refer to:
* Aelianus Tacticus, 2nd-century Greek military writer in Rome
* Casperius Aelianus (13–98 AD), Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan
* Claudius Aelianus
Claudius Aelianus (; ), commonly Aelian (), born at Pr ...
, the turtle dove was sacred to Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...
. In Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
, the turtle dove was one of the emblems of Fides
Fides or FIDES may refer to:
*Faith, trust, loyalty, or fidelity, or a religious belief
* Fides (cycling team), an Italian professional cycling team in 1961
*Fides (deity), goddess of trust in Roman mythology
* Fides (reliability), guide allowing ...
, the goddess of trust and good faith.
Perhaps because of Biblical references – especially verse 2: 12 from the Song of Songs
The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...
"the voice of the turtle ove
Ove or OVE may refer to
People
*Ove (given name)
*Ové, a surname
* Alexander Ovechkin (born 1985), Russian ice hockey player, nicknamed Ové
Places
*Ove Peak in Antarctica
Other uses
*A Man Called Ove (novel), ''A Man Called Ove'' (novel), a no ...
is heard in our land" – its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bond
In biology, a pair bond is the strong affinity that develops in some species between a mating pair, often leading to the production and rearing of young and potentially a lifelong bond. Pair-bonding is a term coined in the 1940s that is frequently ...
s, European turtle doves have become emblems of devoted love. In the New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
, two turtle doves are mentioned as the customary offering during the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
The Presentation of Jesus is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, or the "Feast of the Presentation of Jes ...
.["Meaning Of Turtle Doves."]
Rocketswag.com. Rocketswag.com, 2012. In Renaissance Europe, the European turtle dove was envisaged as the devoted partner of the Phoenix. Robert Chester's poem ''Love's Martyr'' is a sustained exploration of this symbolism. It was published along with other poems on the subject, including William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle
''The Phoenix and the Turtle'' (also spelled ''The Phœnix and the Turtle'') is an allegorical poem by William Shakespeare, first published in 1601 as a supplement to a longer work, ''Love's Martyr'', by Robert Chester. The poem, which has be ...
", where "turtle" refers to the turtle dove.
The turtle dove is featured in a number of folk song
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
s about love and loss, including "There Is a Tavern in the Town
"There Is a Tavern in the Town" was composed by William Henry Hills in May 1883, and published that same year in his songbook ''Students' Songs'',William H. Hills, ''Students' Songs'', published by Moses King (Cambridge, Massachusetts), 1883. "com ...
". One of these is a setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
.
Turtle doves are also featured in the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as the Twelve Days of Christmastide, are the festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity.
Christmas Day is the First Day. The Twelve Days are 25 December to 5 January, counting first and last. Th ...
", as the gift "my true love gave to me" on the second and subsequent days of Christmas.
Turtle doves appear in the title and lyrics of the spiritual "Turtledove Done Drooped His Wings" from the Georgia Sea Islands
The Sea Islands are a chain of over a hundred tidal and barrier islands on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the Southeastern United States, between the mouths of the Santee and St. Johns rivers along South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The la ...
.[audio clip]
Lafayette/ Turtle Dove
– Peter Ostroushko
Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul an ...
, Shoe Band, GK and Andra Suchy, 2/20/2010
In the Shaker
Shaker or Shakers may refer to:
Religious groups
* Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect
* Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination
Objects and instruments
* Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone
* Cock ...
hymn "In Yonder Valley", that "the turtledove is in our land" is seen as a good omen and sign of growth.
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the European turtle dove
Ageing and sexing by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
{{Authority control
Birds of Europe
Birds of North Africa
Birds of the Canary Islands
Birds of Central Asia
Birds of West Asia
Wintering birds of Africa
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...