Blue-spotted Wood Dove (Turtur afer)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Blue-spotted Wood Dove

Turtur afer (Linnaeus, 1766)

66 gWeight

The blue-spotted wood dove or blue-spotted dove (Turtur afer) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.

Busiest months: November · Most records: Uganda, Ghana, Gambia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Blue-spotted Wood Dove has been recorded at 286 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 31 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Abuko NRGambia351 records
  2. Bigodi SwampUganda327 records
  3. Entebbe Botanical GardenUganda317 records
More places
  1. Kibale NPUganda281 records
  2. Queen Elizabeth II NPUganda225 records
  3. Farasuto Forest Community NRGambia224 records
  4. Shai Hills Resource ReserveGhana217 records
  5. Lake Mburo NPUganda213 records
  6. Antwikwaa – forest edge & farm scrubGhana176 records
  7. Kakamega Forest NRKenya172 records

Countries and regions with the most records

UgandaGhanaGambiaKenyaEthiopiaRwandaZimbabweGabon

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The blue-spotted wood dove or blue-spotted dove (Turtur afer) is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blue-spotted Wood Dove?

The Blue-spotted Wood Dove weighs around 66 g.

Where does the Blue-spotted Wood Dove live?

Its breeding range: Africa: Senegal and Gambia to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda, south to Angola, northern South Africa and Mozambique. It is most often recorded in Uganda, Ghana and Gambia.

When is the best time to see the Blue-spotted Wood Dove?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Blue-spotted Wood Dove endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-spotted Wood Dove as Least Concern.

What does the Blue-spotted Wood Dove eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Blue-spotted Wood Dove in?

It belongs to the family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae), order Columbiformes.

At a glance

Weight
66 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
105 mm
Tail
80 mm
Bill
18 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: Senegal and Gambia to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda, south to Angola, northern South Africa and Mozambique

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Pigeons, Doves Columbidae
Genus
Turtur

Other birds in the genus Turtur

Emerald-spotted Wood DoveEmerald-spotted Wood DoveTurtur chalcospilosBlack-billed Wood DoveBlack-billed Wood DoveTurtur abyssinicusTambourine DoveTambourine DoveTurtur tympanistriaBlue-headed Wood DoveBlue-headed Wood DoveTurtur brehmeriRock DoveRock DoveColumba liviaHill PigeonHill PigeonColumba rupestrisSnow PigeonSnow PigeonColumba leuconotaSpeckled PigeonSpeckled PigeonColumba guineaWhite-collared PigeonWhite-collared PigeonColumba albitorquesStock DoveStock DoveColumba oenas
Blue-spotted Wood Dove

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ad Konings. ↗

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