Red-eyed Dove

The red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) is one of the largest African Streptopelia doves. Adults are about 30 cm long and weigh around 240 g. The head and underparts are greyish pink, the back and wings grey-brown, and a broad black half-collar marks the rear of the neck. The eye itself is dark reddish-orange and is surrounded by conspicuous reddish bare skin.

It can resemble the smaller ring-necked dove (Streptopelia capicola), but red-eyed doves are bulkier and darker, with the red orbital skin and a distinctive dark-and-pale tail pattern in flight. The voice is also an excellent identifier: a loud, deep and rhythmically repeated coo that is one of the familiar sounds of wooded parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Red-eyed doves favour wooded and semi-wooded habitats, including woodland, wooded savanna, forest edges, riverine vegetation and plantations. They are commonly associated with access to water and generally avoid the driest treeless landscapes.

The species has adapted particularly well to human-modified areas with mature trees and is common in many parks, gardens, farms and suburban landscapes. In southern Africa it readily uses plantations of both native and introduced trees, provided suitable feeding ground and drinking water are nearby.

Seeds dominate the diet, including seeds of wild grasses and cultivated plants, but red-eyed doves also eat fruit, flowers, nuts, other plant material and occasional insects such as termites.

Most food is collected on the ground in gardens, roadsides, farmland and other open patches where fallen seed is available. Birds walk steadily while picking individual seeds and other small food items from the surface.

Red-eyed doves can also feed directly on ripening crops rather than relying only on fallen grain. A study on the South African Highveld found birds taking seeds directly from sunflower and sorghum plants, with soft sunflower seed particularly favoured early in the season. This ability to exploit both wild seed and standing crops contributes to their success in agricultural landscapes.

The species is resident through most of its range, although local seasonal movements occur in response to food and water. Outside breeding it is often gregarious, gathering in loose groups at productive feeding sites and drinking places before dispersing again into wooded cover.

Red-eyed doves rest extensively in trees between bouts of activity. Flight is fast and direct with regular wingbeats, while the powerful repeated call carries well through woodland and suburban areas and is often the first sign that a bird is nearby.

Red-eyed doves are monogamous and can breed through much of the year where conditions are favourable, with regional peaks linked to rainfall and food availability. Breeding males become territorial and perform a conspicuous display flight, climbing on strong wingbeats before gliding down with wings and tail spread. Courtship on the ground or a perch includes bowing and display of the dark neck collar.

The male collects twigs and other nesting material while the female assembles the simple platform nest in a tree or dense shrub; old nests of other birds may also be reused. One or two white eggs are laid, most commonly two. Both parents incubate for about 14–17 days and feed the young first with crop milk and later with softened food. The chicks leave the nest after roughly another two weeks and become independent during the following weeks.

The red-eyed dove is widespread and common across much of sub-Saharan Africa and readily uses agricultural and urban habitats as long as trees and water are available. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List, and the global population trend is considered increasing.

Its tolerance of plantations, farmland, gardens and other modified landscapes has allowed it to remain common in many settled areas, although local numbers still depend on access to suitable nesting trees, drinking water and reliable seed resources.