Tambourine Dove ( Turtur tympanistria, family: columbidae)
The Tambourine Dove (Latin name Turtur tympanistria) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 359 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 288 also a picture of the Tambourine Dove on page 273. The
Tambourine Dove belongs to the family of birds classified as columbidae.
According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the
Tambourine Dove is also known by these other names: White-breasted Dove,
Forest 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 Tambourine Dove is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Tambourine Dove in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Tambourine Dove : see above distribution map.
The Tambourine Dove.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Tambourine Dove is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Tambourine Dove is about 23 cms and its weight is about 72 gms
You will find that the male Tambourine Dove plumage and colours are different to that of the female Tambourine Dove
- Head is white, brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is purple.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are red.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Tambourine Dove feeds on the ground and in foliage mainly
Fruits
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Tambourine Dove is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Turtur tympanistria will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Tambourine Dove is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are cream in colour and number between 1 to 2
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Tambourine Dove are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will not see Tambourine Dove in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Isavu
Zulu ... isiBhelu/isiKhombazane-sehlathi
Afrikaans ...Witborsduifie
German ... Tamburintaube
Portuguese ... Rola-de-papo-branco
French ... Tourtelette tambourette
Dutch ... Tamboerijnduif
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 359
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
