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 northern sub-Saharan Africa to winter.

The turtle dove is a migratory species with a western Palearctic range covering most of Europe and the Middle East and including Turkey and north Africa, although it is rare in northern Scandinavia and Russia. 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 in North America, with records from Massachusetts and Florida in the United States, and an additional record from Saint Pierre and Miquelon. This bird prefers open woodlands to dense ones, and often feeds on the ground. Although it occasionally nests in large gardens, it is usually extremely timid, probably due to the heavy hunting pressure it faces during migration. Its flight is often described as arrow-like, but it is not particularly fast. 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 purring song, a rather deep, vibrating "turrr, turrr".

India

The European turtle dove was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba and coined the binomial name Columba turtur. The specific epithet 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 Streptopelia that was introduced in 1855 by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. Four subspecies are recognised: S. t. turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) – Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands to western Siberia S. t. arenicola (Hartert, 1894) – Northwest Africa to Iran and western China S. t. hoggara (Geyr von Schweppenburg, 1916) – Air Massif and Hoggar Mountains (southern Sahara) S. t. rufescens (Brehm, CL, 1845) – Egypt and northern Sudan Despite the identical spelling, the "turtle" of the name has no connection with the reptile of the same name; it is ultimately from Latin turtur, which is onomatopoeic, imitating the bird's song. From Latin the word was taken into Old English as turtla (male turtle dove) and turtle (female turtle dove), then to Middle English turtle (tortle, turtel, turtul), and from there into Modern English. The genus name Streptopelia is from Ancient Greek streptos meaning "collar", and peleia 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 has also been given as a generic name to a less-closely related group of tropical African doves: Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis in Asia. Dusky turtle dove Streptopelia lugens in Africa. Adamawa turtle dove Streptopelia hypopyrrha in Africa. Malagasy turtle dove Nesoenas picturatus in Madagascar. The European turtle dove is smaller and more slender than many other doves. It measures 26–28 cm (10–11 in) in length, has a wingspan of 47–53 cm (19–21 in) and weighs 100–156 g (3.5–5.5 oz). It can be recognised by its brown colouring and the black-and-white-striped patch on the side of its neck. When the bird flies from the observer, the tail is notable as it is wedge-shaped with a dark centre and white borders and tips. When viewed from below, the pattern, due to the white under-tail coverts obscuring the dark bases, resembles a blackish chevron on a white background. This can be seen when the bird stoops to drink and raises its spread tail. The mature bird has a blue-grey head, neck, flanks, and rump, and cinnamon-coloured wings that are mottled with black. The breast is vinaceous and the abdomen and undertail coverts are white. Its bill is black and its 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.

According to Aelian, the turtle dove was sacred to Demeter. In Roman mythology, the turtle dove was one of the emblems of Fides, the goddess of trust and good faith. Perhaps because of Biblical references – especially verse 2:12 from the Song of Songs "the voice of the turtle [dove] is heard in our land" – its mournful voice, and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, European turtle doves have become emblems of devoted love. In the New Testament, two turtle doves are mentioned as the customary offering during the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. 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's poem "The Phoenix and the Turtle", where "turtle" refers to the turtle dove. The turtle dove is featured in a number of folk songs about love and loss, including "There Is a Tavern in the Town". One of these is among the folk song settings of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Turtle doves are also featured in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", 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. In the Shaker hymn "In Yonder Valley", that "the turtledove is in our land" is seen as a good omen and sign of growth.