European Turtle Dove

Seen one? Add it to your free UK BirdedexHear its song and see the mapFree, no app download. Rare bird: +8 points when you log it.

European Turtle Dove in the UK

The Turtle Dove is a summer visitor and the UK's fastest-declining breeding bird. The 2021 national survey found about 2,100 territories, a fall of 98% since the 1968-72 atlas. Kent, Suffolk and Essex hold nearly two thirds of them. It is Red-listed and globally Vulnerable. The main cause here is the loss of weed seeds on farmland, which has cut the number of nesting attempts each pair makes. Hunting on migration added to it. After France, Spain and Portugal stopped hunting from 2021, the western European population rose by about 40% by 2024.

Where and when to see a European Turtle Dove

South-east and eastern England only: Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Sussex, Cambridgeshire and a few places north to Yorkshire. Birds arrive in late April and May and leave between July and September. Listen for the purr in tall, dense hedges, thorn scrub and woodland edge next to weedy ground and a pond, early on warm, still mornings in May and June. The Knepp Estate in West Sussex and Stodmarsh in Kent are well-known public sites. Keep to paths and watch from a distance, as these birds desert easily.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Hedgerow farmland (summer).
Diet: Weed seeds.
Field note: Critically declining; purring song.

How to identify a European Turtle Dove

Small and slim, noticeably smaller than a Collared Dove and not much bigger than a Blackbird. The back and wings are bright orange-brown with black feather centres, giving a scaly tortoiseshell look. The head is blue-grey, the breast soft pink, and there is a patch of black and white stripes on the side of the neck. In flight it is fast and flicking, tilting from side to side, and the dark tail shows a narrow white band around the tip as it lands. Young birds are duller and lack the neck patch.

Call and song

A soft, deep, rolling purr, "turrrr turrrr turrrr", like a contented cat. The bird is named after the sound. It sings from inside cover or a dead branch, mostly early in the morning, and the song is easy to miss among louder birds. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Collared Dove: Collared Dove is larger, plain pale buff-grey with a thin black half-collar and no scaly pattern, and is present all year.
• Oriental Turtle Dove: This very rare vagrant is bulkier and darker, with broader dark centres to the wing feathers; any turtle dove seen in winter needs careful checking.

Month by month

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from May to August. Numbers peak in June. See the June birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in UK garden birds.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the European Turtle Dove is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Collared DoveCommon · Gardens
• Oriental Turtle DoveLegendary · Hedgerows (very rare)
• Barn SwallowCommon · Farmland (summer)
• Common CuckooUncommon · Reedbeds
• Eurasian HobbyUncommon · Heathland
• Eurasian Tree SparrowUncommon · Hedgerow farmland

European Turtle Dove: quick answers

Where can I see a Turtle Dove in the UK?

In the south-east and East Anglia between May and July. Kent has about a third of the UK population. Knepp in West Sussex is the most publicised site, with public footpaths through scrub where birds purr in late spring. Go early in the morning and listen first.

Is the Turtle Dove rare in the UK?

Yes, it has become so. Fifty years ago it was a familiar farmland bird across England and into Wales. With about 2,100 territories left it is now absent from most counties, and is one of the species most likely to be lost as a British breeder.

What does a Turtle Dove eat?

Almost entirely small seeds taken from the ground: fumitory, chickweed, clovers and vetches, plus spilt grain and oilseed rape. Operation Turtle Dove works with farmers to sow seed-rich plots and put out supplementary seed in spring, close to thick scrub and water.

Kit that helps

Best bird feeders and food for UK gardens. Affiliate links, our own picks, no extra cost to you.