Turtur


Turtur is a small genus of doves native to sub-Saharan Africa. Species in this genus are known as wood doves.
The genus Turtur was introduced in 1783 by the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert to accommodate the blue-spotted wood dove. The word Turtur is Latin for "turtle dove".

Species

The genus contains five species:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Turtur chalcospilosEmerald-spotted wood doveeastern and southern Africa
Turtur abyssinicusBlack-billed wood doveAfrica just south of the Sahara Desert
Turtur aferBlue-spotted wood doveAfrica south of the Sahel
Turtur tympanistriaTambourine dovefrom Senegal east to Ethiopia and Kenya and southwards through eastern Africa to south-eastern South Africa
Turtur brehmeriBlue-headed wood doveAfrican tropical rainforest