Red-eyed Dove ( Streptopelia semitorquata, family: columbidae)

red eyed dove kruger national park birds The Red-eyed Dove (Latin name Streptopelia semitorquata) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 352 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 286 also a picture of the Red-eyed Dove on page 273. The Red-eyed Dove belongs to the family of birds classified as columbidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Red-eyed Dove is also known by these other names: Red-eyed Turtle-Dove, Half-collared Ring Dove.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Red-eyed Dove is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident

In terms of distribution of the Red-eyed Dove in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Red-eyed Dove : see above distribution map.

The Red-eyed Dove.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

The Red-eyed Dove is a bird a little bit bigger than a starling. The height of the Red-eyed Dove is about 36 cms and its weight is about 250 gms

The male and female Red-eyed Dove have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is grey.
  • Eye is orange.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is black.
  • Back is purple.
  • Legs are purple.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Red-eyed Dove feeds on the ground mainly

Seeds

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Red-eyed Dove is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Streptopelia semitorquata will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Red-eyed Dove is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 2

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Red-eyed Dove are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas

You will not see Red-eyed Dove in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Indlasidudu/Umakhulu

Zulu ... iHophe

Afrikaans ...Grootringduif

German ... Halbmondtaube

Portuguese ... Rola-de-olhos-vermelhos

French ... Tourterelle collier

Dutch ... Roodoogtortel

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 352

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za