European Turtle Dove
European Turtle DoveEuropean Turtle DoveEuropean Turtle DoveEuropean Turtle Dove

European Turtle Dove

Streptopelia turtur

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sierra Nevada National Park
58 Verified sightings at Sierra Nevada National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,481 Verified sightings across all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the European Turtle Dove

The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a threatened or vulnerable member of the bird family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It breeds over a wide area of the south western Palearctic including north Africa but migrates to northern sub-Saharan Africa in winter.

The European turtle dove was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other pigeons in the genus Columba and coined the binomial name Columba turtur. The specific epithet turtur is the Latin word for a turtle dove. Linnaeus gave the locality as "India". This was an error, and the type locality has been designated as England. The species is now placed in the genus Streptopelia that was introduced in 1855 by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.

Four subspecies are recognised: S. t. turtur (Linnaeus, 1758) – Europe, Madeira and the Canary Islands to western Siberia S. t. arenicola (Hartert, 1894) – Northwest Africa to Iran and western China S. t. hoggara (Geyr von Schweppenburg, 1916) – Air Massif and Hoggar Mountains (southern Sahara)

S. t. rufescens (Brehm, CL, 1845) – Egypt and northern Sudan... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Sierra Nevada National Park

Wood Pigeon
LC

Wood Pigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Columba palumbus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
2 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
3 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~20%
4 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
5 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
7 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
8 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
9 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
10 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
11 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
12 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
13 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
14 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
15 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
16 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
17 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
Insufficient data
18 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
19 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
20 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
Insufficient data
21 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
22 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a European Turtle Dove in Sierra Nevada National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Turtle Dove sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see European Turtle Dove in Sierra Nevada National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for European Turtle Dove in Sierra Nevada National Park in our monthly data.

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