Turtle dove  (Streptopelia turtur)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Biology

Adults feed on the ground, mainly on cereal and wildflower seeds and the occasional insect. During the first five days of life the young are fed on 'crop-milk' which the parents regurgitate. They then eat small seeds and insects.

Turtle doves return from their wintering grounds around late April and immediately start nesting. The nests are usually made in hedges or scrub, two broods may be produced in the season each consisting of two eggs. Both parents share the incubation and feeding duties (2).

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