Oriental Turtle Dove

Streptopelia orientalis (Latham, 1790)

≈33 cmLength233 gWeight

It has black-and-white striped patches on the side of the neck and scaling on the upper back and wings.

Busiest months: April and November–December · Most records: China, Japan, South Korea

Looks like European Turtle Dove

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Silver-and-black striped patches on side of neck
Upper back and wings rufous, with scaling on feathers
Breast and belly reddish-brown
Tail wedge-shaped

Voice

A four-syllable “her-her-oo-oo”, varying greatly between populations.

Similar species

European Turtle Dove

Very similar in color, but Oriental Turtle Dove is slightly larger, with a less pink breast, browner wing feathers with scaling, and no bare skin around the eye.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April and November–December · Most records: China, Japan, South Korea

Oriental Turtle Dove has been recorded at 1,924 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 38 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)5,145 records
Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)3,243 records
Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)2,831 records

More places

Taipei – Da'an Forest ParkTaiwan (China)2,799 records
Kanha NP – Mukki ZoneIndia2,257 records
Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia2,023 records
Edogawa Ward – Kasai Rinkai Park / Kasai Kaihin ParkJapan1,742 records
Guandu IBA – Nature ParkTaiwan (China)1,624 records
Taipei – Beitou Guizikeng Drainage CanalTaiwan (China)1,580 records
Nantou – Meifeng Highland Experimental Farm of NTUTaiwan (China)1,370 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Japan South Korea India Nepal Bhutan Thailand Russia

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 Oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis) is a member of the bird family Columbidae. The species has a wide native distribution range from Central Asia east across Asia to Japan. The populations show variations in the patterning of plumage and have been designated into at least six named subspecies.

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

Questions

How big is the Oriental Turtle Dove?

The Oriental Turtle Dove is about ≈33 cm long and weighs around 233 g.

Where does the Oriental Turtle Dove live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: central, East Asia through India and Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in China, Japan and South Korea.

When is the best time to see the Oriental Turtle Dove?

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

Is the Oriental Turtle Dove endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Oriental Turtle Dove as Least Concern.

What does the Oriental Turtle Dove eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Oriental Turtle Dove in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈33 cm
Weight: 233 g
Habitat: Woodland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 176 mm
Tail: 127 mm
Bill: 22 mm
Tarsus: 26 mm

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

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: central, East Asia through India and Southeast Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Streptopelia orientalis orientalis c Siberia to Japan, China, the e Himalayas and Taiwan (China) | non-breeding: s, e Asia
Streptopelia orientalis agricola ne India, Myanmar and n Thailand to sc China