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European Turtle Doves are small doves. The plumage of both sexes is indistinguishable in the field. The front, from chin to chest, is pinkish-blue-grey. The upper belly has a faint cinnamon band across it, while the lower belly, vent and undertail coverts are off-white to light-grey. The head and the nape of the neck are grey, except for their eye-rings, which are brown. On the sides of the neck they have black and white striped patches. The wings have grey shoulder patches, dark-grey flight feathers and orange-brown coverts with dark-grey centres, creating a boldly scalloped pattern (the brightest of all Eurasian doves of the genus Streptopelia). The irises are orange. The bill is dark-grey; the legs and feet are dark greyish-pink. Juvenile birds have duller colours than adults, basically in various shades of grey, with a lighter-grey front than the back. The wing coverts have dark centres and light edges. Over the months leading into winter, they obtain colours more similar to adults.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the European Turtle Dove is available HERE .

As opposed to most other species of pigeons or doves, which are either sedentary or only partly migratory, European Turtle Doves are a strongly migratory species. Their breeding range encompasses parts of northern Africa (mostly the North-west and the Nile valley), most of Europe (except the northernmost parts), Asia Minor, near-coastal areas of the Middle East and further eastward into south-western and central Asia. They all spend the northern summers in southern parts of Africa.

In Europe European Turtle Doves are found only as breeding migrants. Their range encompasses almost the entire continent, EXCEPT the highest parts of major mountain ranges and the far North, i.e. Wales, northern England, Scotland, Ireland, northern Scandinavia and northern European Russia. They are also present on the Mediterranean islands.

European Turtle Doves have a preference for open woodland with clearings or interspersed open areas for feeding. Although usually quite timid, some European Turtle Doves tolerate the proximity of humans and will enter the quiet parts of parks and gardens.

S. Cuturilov reports spotting European Turtle Doves near Kursumlija, South-east Serbia, in June 2016. Others were found by A. Sarok in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024.

J. Pires reports finding a European Turtle Dove occasionally during the breeding season in various parts of Portugal.

G. Normand found a European Turtle Dove at Nieppe, Hauts-de-France, France, in May 2021.