No.11 The Turtle Dove, Laughing Dove and Collared Dove




(Note: Click on photos to enlarge image.)


The Turtle Dove


"On the second day of Christmas 

My truelove gave to me

Two Turtle Doves...." 




"Two Turtle Doves...."

Once upon a time the Turtle Dove was a very common farmland bird in the UK, and we are all familiar with the lyrics from the 'Twelve Days of Christmas'. Sadly, though this rather strange Xmas gift might have been quite readily achieved half a century ago, this is now a most unlikely option. What was once a common and widespread farmland bird is declining faster than almost any other UK species. Numbers have apparently dropped by more than 90% since 1970, and are still falling sharply. At this rate the species is predicted to disappear from the British countryside  soon after the year 2020.

The decline of the Turtle Dove population is being mirrored across much of the rest of its breeding range in Europe and Western Asia. The species is being hit by habitat loss in Britain and the unrestricted slaughter on its migration routes to and from Africa. Over places such as Cyprus, Malta and Sicily huge numbers of migrant birds are killed each year, and Turtle Doves (which fly fast but low) are hit harder than many species.


The Turtle Dove is a fairly small and slim dove. It has clearly remarked orangey-brown edges and black centres on the wing feathers, a pinkish-blue breast and head, and a bright orange eye. The neck has a small patch of black and white feathers, looking a bit like gills. Its song is a rather deep but sonorous purring call - an often repeated "turrrrr,  turrrrr, turrrr", after which the bird was originally named (and not after the marine reptile....!).




Turtle Dove adult



The Laughing Dove

The Laughing Dove is a little smaller than the Turtle Dove. It is becoming quite common in Mandria where it is often seen in the heart of the village. It has a very distinctive blue-grey panel on the outer edge of the wings and an orange-and black patch on the throat. The wing feathers are a more uniform brown than the more obvious patterning on the Turtle Dove wings. The call is a quite distinct short repeated cooing that sound a little like a laugh.




Adult Laughing Dove



Collared Dove

When I started taking an interest in birds (back in the 1950's) the Collared Dove was never seen in Britain, either as a resident or as a visitor. But a pair was seen in Norfolk in 1955 and, the following year more arrived. I saw my first Collared Dove in the early 1960s in Essex, and by the early 1970s the species had been identified from the Scilly Isles to the Shetlands.

They are now one of the commonest of garden and farmland birds with over a million breeding pairs in Britain. This rapid expansion of their population may be linked to their ability to breed quickly and during every month of the year. They are also now very common in Cyprus, easily recognised by the black collar marking on the  neck and the rather monotonous call.


Adult Collared Dove



(All photos by Trevor Fordham)

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