What are the characteristics of the turtledove's habits and lifestyle

Adult turtledoves build nests in trees and lay white eggs in nests woven from twigs. Incubation takes 14-18 days, and the young birds fledge after 15-19 days. This bird is not wary of humans, and they can often be found around human residential areas.

The turtledove is a social species, forming fairly large flocks where food such as grains is abundant. The turtledove's call is “coo-coo-coo,” with the second note heavier and repeated many times. Because its call sounds like the Greek word for eighteen, it received this scientific name. Occasionally it also emits a loud, harsh, and hollow-sounding call of about 2 seconds, especially when landing in summer.

The Eurasian collared dove and the pink-headed collared dove have been demonstrated to be the wild ancestors of the domesticated ringneck dove. One reason is that this bird can mate with the ringneck dove and reproduce.

The turtledove inhabits forests in plains, foothills, and low hilly areas, and also often appears near farmland, cultivated fields, orchards, shrubland, towns, and villages.

The breeding period of the turtledove is from April to August. It may breed 2 clutches per year. It usually nests in small trees or shrubs, and also nests in houses and garden fruit trees. The nest is very simple, mainly made of fine dead twigs piled together. The height above ground is mostly more than 3 m, the outer diameter of the nest is 14-20 cm, and the inner diameter is 8-13 cm. Each clutch contains 2 eggs, and the eggs are milky white and oval in shape. The size of the eggs is 29-34×23-26 cm, and the weight is 7-9 g. The female bird mainly incubates the eggs. The male bird mostly rests and keeps watch near the nest. The incubation period is 14-16 days. The chicks are altricial. After hatching, they are fed by both the male and female parent birds, and after about 15-17 days of feeding, the young birds can fly and leave the nest.