What Do Turtle Doves Eat? A Comprehensive Overview of Common Food Types

Turtle doves generally forage on the ground, eating large quantities of small seeds, such as sorghum, wheat seeds, rice grains and fruits, and sometimes also insect larvae. They build their nests in trees, generally 3-7 m above the ground, made of twigs with a simple structure.

Red Turtle Dove

The Red Turtle Dove, also known as the red dove, red jiāzhuī and other names. In China, it is a resident bird in the open woodlands of South China and East China and in the relatively flat coastal woodlands and secondary vegetation conditions. It also extends across the southern and eastern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to most areas of North China, East China and Hannan.

Oriental Turtle Dove

The Oriental Turtle Dove is a common species in China. It is medium-sized, with a body length of 27-35 cm; the two wings have no metallic plumage color, and the 2nd and 3rd flight feathers are the longest; the feet are short but strong, and the tarsometatarsus is longer than the middle toe. The upper body plumage is mainly brown, the head and neck are grayish brown, tinged with wine color; the forehead and crown are gray or blue-gray, and it is found in almost all provinces and regions of China. In autumn and winter, it migrates to the plains and often roosts in flocks with the Spotted Dove. It flies like a pigeon, often gliding. Its call is monotonous and low. It is very vigilant.

The Oriental Turtle Dove forages for sorghum, wheat seeds, rice grains and fruits, and sometimes also eats insect larvae; in winter it often eats the seeds and kernels of camphor trees. It builds its nest in trees, generally 3-7 m above the ground, made of twigs with a simple structure. Turtle doves are numerous and are game birds of economic value.

Spotted Dove

The Spotted Dove, also known as "zhōngbān", "zhūjǐngbān", belongs to the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae, and is a familiar medium-sized (30 cm) pinkish-brown dove.

The Spotted Dove is commensal with humans, inhabiting open sparse woodlands as well as around villages and rice fields, feeding on the ground, and preferring granular hard food, such as small snails, camphor seeds and grain kernels; it often stands in pairs on open roadsides. When disturbed, it slowly flaps its wings and flies close to the ground.

After reading about what turtle doves eat, the editor below will now introduce the artificial breeding techniques for turtle doves!