SPECIES LIST

Turtle Dove

BREEDING TURTLE DOVE

The Turtle Dove is not a bird of the open Levels but of the lightly wooded country where flat, wet grassland gives way to the gently rising land. The look a bit like Collared Doves but when, alarmed and rising to fly away, a black tail is spread to reveal a very bold, contrasting white margin. They were always around the edges of the Levels in territories with hedgerows and scattered trees feeding on seeds in hedgerow, scrub and wild flower meadow. A dead tree branch is often chosen as a calling perch. Their distinctive gentle purring call can still be heard here occasionally but it whether they still breed is uncertain. Numbers have crashed nationally and our smallest pigeon is now threatened with extinction in the UK. Returning even small numbers of this beautiful bird to the rich edge habitats of the Levels may be within our capability and could contribute to its national recovery.