Red-eyed Dove: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Paul Cools · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Streptopelia semitorquata
- Family
- Pigeons and Doves
- Size
- About 30 cm
- Habitat
- Woodland, gardens and towns
- Found in
- Africa and Asia
The key marks
A dark, wine-brown dove with a greyish head, a thin black half-collar on the nape and a reddish ring of skin around the eye. Collared-Dove is paler sandy-grey, with a black collar edged in white and no red eye ring.
Voice
A deep, hoarse, rhythmic cooing.
Good to know
It is a common dove of southern and eastern Africa that has moved into towns, where it nests in gardens and parks.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Eurasian Collared-Dove. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in woodland, gardens and towns. It is especially common in South Africa. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.