Red Collared Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Red Collared Dove

Streptopelia tranquebarica (Hermann, 1804)

20–23 cmLength103 gWeight

It is a small dove whose male has a reddish-brown body, blue-gray head and neck, and a black collar at the back of the neck.

Busiest months: October–February · Most records: China, Thailand, India

Looks like Eurasian Collared Dove

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Male: neck blue-gray, with black collar at back of neck
  2. Male: wings, breast, belly, scapulars, and back reddish-brown
  3. Body length about 23 cm; relatively small for a pigeon or dove

Male, female and young

Female is gray-brown overall and slightly smaller than male, with dark brown legs and feet.

Similar species

Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Comparison applies to female: its plain, pale brown plumage resembles Eurasian Collared Dove, which is larger.

Where and when it's recorded

Red Collared Dove has been recorded at 1,002 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 20 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Huajiang IBA – Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park (Huajiang to Zhongxing Bridge)Taiwan (China)3,008 records
  2. Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)2,506 records
  3. Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)2,330 records
More places
  1. Hsinchu Coast IBA – GangnanTaiwan (China)1,908 records
  2. Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia1,513 records
  3. Kinmen – Lake Ci Fishponds Birding AreaChina1,484 records
  4. Lizejian IBA – 52-Jia WetlandTaiwan (China)1,367 records
  5. Guandu IBATaiwan (China)1,364 records
  6. Pak Thale Nature ReserveThailand1,332 records
  7. Taipei – Beitou Guizikeng Drainage CanalTaiwan (China)1,319 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaThailandIndiaCambodiaPhilippinesNepalSingaporeVietnam

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 red collared dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica), also known as the red turtle dove, is a small pigeon which is a resident breeding bird in the tropics of Asia.

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

Questions

How big is the Red Collared Dove?

The Red Collared Dove is about 20–23 cm long and weighs around 103 g.

Where does the Red Collared Dove live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in China, Thailand and India.

When is the best time to see the Red Collared Dove?

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

Is the Red Collared Dove endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Red Collared Dove as Least Concern.

What does the Red Collared Dove eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Red Collared Dove in?

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

At a glance

Length
20–23 cm
Weight
103 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Seeds
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
135 mm
Tail
82 mm
Bill
16 mm
Tarsus
17 mm

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

Range

Oriental: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Streptopelia tranquebarica humilis e Nepal, ne India and ne Tibet to n China and Philippines (except Basilan and Sulu Arch.)

Classification

Family
Pigeons, Doves Columbidae
Genus
Streptopelia

Other birds in the genus Streptopelia

European Turtle DoveEuropean Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturDusky Turtle DoveDusky Turtle DoveStreptopelia lugensAdamawa Turtle DoveAdamawa Turtle DoveStreptopelia hypopyrrhaOriental Turtle DoveOriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalisSunda Collared DoveSunda Collared DoveStreptopelia bitorquataPhilippine Collared DovePhilippine Collared DoveStreptopelia dusumieriEurasian Collared DoveEurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoBurmese Collared DoveBurmese Collared DoveStreptopelia xanthocyclaAfrican Collared DoveAfrican Collared DoveStreptopelia roseogriseaWhite-winged Collared DoveWhite-winged Collared DoveStreptopelia reichenowiMourning Collared DoveMourning Collared DoveStreptopelia decipiensRed-eyed DoveRed-eyed DoveStreptopelia semitorquata
Red Collared Dove

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

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