Ringed Turtle-Dove
| Streptopelia risoria |
Order COLUMBIFORMES - Family COLUMBIDAE |
Menu
- Description
- Sound
- Conservation Status
- Other Names
- Cool Facts
- Full detailed species account
The Ringed Turtle-Dove has been domesticated for so long that its wild origins are not known for certain. It frequently escapes from captivity, and feral populations have become established in some cities in the southern United States.
Description
- Medium-sized bird.
- Small head.
- Pale buff to white body and head.
- Black half-collar on back of neck.
- Medium-long square tail.
- Size: 26-27 cm (10-11 in)
- Wingspan: 45-50 cm (18-20 in)
- Weight: 130-166 g (4.59-5.86 ounces)
Sex Differences
Sexes look alike.
Sound
Song is a mellow "koo, kooroo." Call a high-pitched "heh-heh-heh."
Conservation Status
Feral populations do not seem to be able to maintain themselves without being provided food by people.
Other Names
Tourterelle rieuse (French)
Ringed Turtle Dove, Barbary Dove, Ringdove, Domestic Ringdove (English)
Cool Facts
- Just what is the wild parent species for the Ringed Turtle-Dove has been debated for years. Currently it is believed to be a domesticated form of the African Collared-Dove (Streptopelia roseogrisea), which is found across
northern Africa and western Arabia.
- The Ringed Turtle-Dove seems to have had the fear of
large, strange, or moving creatures bred out of it more than any other
domesticated bird, and individuals are readily made hand-tame. The recognition
of predatory birds remains, however, and it shows standard hawk-escaping dove
behavior. One common response to a hawk is to "freeze" motionless. This
behavior undoubtedly worked well with its normal, darker plumage in its
natural habitat, but the pale domesticated form stands out conspicuously
against green lawns.
Sources used to construct this page:
- American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. Check-list of
North American Birds, 7th ed. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
- Cramp, S., et al. 1985. The Handbook of the birds of
Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western
Palearctic. Volume IV: Terns to Woodpeckers. Oxford University Press.
- Goodwin, D. 1983. Pigeons and doves of the world.
Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.
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