| European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur | ||||
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Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, England. The European Turtle Dove breeds in Europe with the exception of most of Scandinavia and the north and west of the British Isles as well as in Asia across to north-central China and south to the Middle East and north Africa. |
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It is migratory and spends the northern winter in
Africa in the grasslands just south of the Sahara. It arrives in its
breeding grounds in May and departs for Africa in August and September. It
is heavily hunted in some Mediterranean countries while it is on
migration. It breeds in deciduous woodlands where there is dense undergrowth and is found most often near agricultural areas. |
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It is strikingly marked with bright orangey-brown
feathers with black centres on the scapulars and wing-coverts. The neck
patch consists of black and white stripes and the orange eye is surrounded
by red bare skin. The juvenile, seen here in photo 4, is duller and lacks the neck patch. |
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It feeds mainly on the ground on seeds and fruits. | |||
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