Common turtledove - description, habitat, interesting facts

Swans or Streptopelia are considered the most beautiful birds among the sebesimilar. No wonder they become a symbol of fidelity, decorate wedding carriages and the ceremony in particular. Many people associate turtledoves with peace, love and frequency, so they watch birds with such pleasure. There are many varieties of individuals that differ not only in color, but also in behavior. An interesting feature is the fact that doves choose a pair forever.

Description

1. Streptopelia means birds with overall features that are within 22–28 cm. They belong to the pigeon family, in the weight category they are slightly smaller than their counterparts and grow to 150 gr. maximum. As for the other differences, from the urban inhabitants of the pigeon family, Streptopelia differ in the slender body, paws of a reddish hue and a rounded tail.
2. There are differences in terms of body color. For example, the upper section is painted in brownish tones. In the area of ​​the feathers, white stripes are present. All colors are combined with each other, forming a beautiful inkjet pattern. In the neck there are strips of white and black tones that resemble decoration.
3. These birds are classified as newborn. Among all modern varieties of such birds more. Wing-shaped and palatine bone tissues are connected, so that the jaw moves relatively easily in relation to the skull. Therefore, birds make interesting movements with their beak.
4. General characteristics can not do without a description of the voice of these individuals. As a rule, he is sad and very melodic. When compared with natural sounds, the cries of doves are easy to compare with murmuring streams.
5. In arid regions, people have adapted to look for ponds by exploring the sounds of birds. If you hear turtledoves from a certain side, it means that you need to go there for water. In the evening, these individuals flock to the source at a watering hole.

Habitat

1. As for distribution, it all depends on the specific species. For example, spotted representatives prefer to settle in Asia, and blue individuals love America. As for the diamond doves, they live in Australia.
2. If the bird lives in the northern part, it will not remain in its native expanses when winter comes. Gathering in flocks, individuals go to Africa to wait out the cold. Most often they are met in Sudan and the Sahara. If there the pigeons acquire a family, they remain forever and settle in one place.
3. The family under discussion does not settle in coniferous forests; birds like mixed or deciduous planting. City representatives can be found in the attics of apartment buildings, as well as in parks. Most often, birds quickly get used to a person, eating seeds and bread.

Nutrition

1. Separately, it is worth noting that among the representatives of doves, there are species that can eat mixed food or even be vegetarians. In the first case, the basis of the diet of individuals often includes all kinds of mollusks and insects.
2. Birds that belong to the species of vegetarians often include alder, birch and pine seeds on their menu. They also feed on grains of millet, buckwheat, wheat, hemp and sunflower. The problem is that when doves gobble up sunflower seeds, they damage the crop.
3. That is why, the considered individuals often suffer from farmers. In other cases, such birds collect the remaining seeds from the ground. Therefore, they are not harmful to humans. Quite the contrary, they help farmers with their actions. Birds feed on seeds of plants that are unnecessary for humans.
4. Since almost all individuals from the pigeon family are similar to doves, vyahiri are often found in the fields. Such a bird is a familiar gray dove for us. In addition, these individuals have a dozen similar species. It is worth noting that the total number of all pigeons on the planet totals about 400 million individuals.

Interesting Facts

1. It remains interesting that in the names of some species of doves, the term “earthy” is found. The prefix indicates that individuals build their nests on the ground.
2. In other cases, most pigeons breed offspring precisely above the ground. The location of the dwelling can vary at a height of 0.5 m to 6 m.
3. Often the nest of the represented individuals looks flat and asymmetrical. Birds build it from dry twigs. Both parents are involved in hatching offspring.

The presented individuals practically do not differ from the pigeons familiar to us. Young growth is born after 2 weeks. After only 20 days, the chicks are already able to fly. In the wild, doves can live up to 7 years. At the same time, individuals are unpretentious in food.

Video: Streptopelia turtur