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Birds of Wildcliff Nature Reserve
Dedicated to
plant and wildlife conservation in South Africa's Cape Floral Kingdom
Cape Turtle-Dove
(Streptopelia capicola)
 Description.
Abundant resident of southern Africa; stereotypical dove appearance.
White-tipped tail is conspicuous in flight and diagnostic. Smaller and
paler than sympatric Red-eyed Dove; lacks red skin around eye as in
Mourning Dove; has thin black collar.
Song/Call. Probably
the most familiar bird vocalization in all of southern Africa,
‘kuk-coorrr-uk.’ Middle note is descending and trilled. A
harsh ‘kurrr’ sounds the alarm call.
Habitat. Found in
all habitats with the exception of dense, coastal forests.
Behavior. Spends
most of the time foraging on the ground. Usually feeds in pairs
and stays close to its’ own species or other doves. Will drink any time
of day but will rest during the heat of the day. Will water bathe and
rain bathe, but does not dust bathe. Roosts colonially at night, often
in isolated groves of trees. Can form huge flocks consisting of
hundreds, even thousands of individuals, especially near cereal crops.
Highly sedentary in temperate South Africa.
Diet. Largely
granivorous but will take invertebrates, succulent leaves and nectar.
Reproduction.
Monogamous and usually pair for life. Male defends territory,
approximately 0.5 hectares, which may last for several consecutive
years. Paired birds will often preen each other, male also
courtship-feeds female, and is often a prelude to copulation.
Female builds nest, a flimsy looking structure, over several days with
materials gathered by the male. Nests in bushes or trees
(0.5m-15m up), occasionally over water and will even re-use the nests
of other birds. 1-2 eggs, most often 2, are laid at any time of
the year in South Africa, with the peak months between Sept-Dec.
In SW Cape incubation begins with the first egg and incubation duties
are shared by both sexes. Incubation lasts for 13-15 days and the
nestling period is 16-17 days.
Predators. Common
predators are genet, cats, eagles, goshawks, falcons and even Marabou
storks which will gather at watering holes to take adults. In SW
Cape the Cape Turtle-dove is killed more than any other bird by road
traffic. Also susceptible to crop seed-dressing poisons.
On Wildcliff. Seen
in the trees around Talari and elsewhere.
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Links & References
- Wildcliff
Bird
List
- Birding
Resources Page
- G.J. Morel, M.-Y.
Morel and C.H. Fry. Streptopelia capicola. In: Fry, C.H., Keith
S., and Urban K., eds. The
Birds of Africa. Vol. 2. London: Academic Press, 2000
- Sinclair, Ian, and
Peter Ryan. Birds of Africa
South of the Sahara. Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press,
2003.
- Sinclair, Ian, Phil
Hockey and Warwick Tarboton. Birds
of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Thanks to Conan Guard
for this page.
Based on sightings in
the immediate area, as many as 160
bird species may be seen at Wildcliff. If
you are interested in conducting an ornithological survey or study at
Wildcliff, please complete the Application Form on the research page.
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