; The Turtle Dove is by far the smallest member of the pigeon family found breeding in the 



British Isles." 



THE TURTLE DOVE 



HE Turtle Dove is by far the 

 smallest member of the 

 pigeon family found breed- 

 ing in the British Islands. 

 Although more stoutlybuilt, 

 it is only about the same 

 length as the Missel Thrush, 

 and easily distinguished 

 from any other species either whilst on 

 the wing or at rest. It invariably makes 

 its presence known by cooing its soft 

 notes which sound something like 

 coor-r-r coor-r-r or turr, turr. 



Unlike the ring, stock, and rock doves, 

 it is not a resident species. Preferring 

 the sunny groves of Africa to our sodden 

 fields and fog-wreathed woods, it leaves 

 its breeding haunts upon the wane of 

 summer and returns again throughout 

 April and May. 



In spite of being very common in the 

 woods and spinneys of the south of 

 England, I have never found the nest of 

 the Turtle Dove in Yorkshire or any- 

 where north of that county, although I 

 have several times seen single birds in 

 Westmorland, and as far north as the 

 Outer Hebrides during June. 



The male is rather larger than the 

 female, and more conspicuously coloured, 

 but neither of these features is par- 

 ticularly noticeable unless the sexes can 

 be compared in the hand, or seen to- 

 gether at very close quarters. 



A strange and most noticeable feature 

 in the behaviour of this species is that it 

 is much shyer in woods and groves 

 where it breeds than in the open country. 

 I have over and over again tried to photo- 

 graph Turtle Doves at or near the nest 



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