Read on to find out how to identify a Turtle Dove and where you should go to have the best chance of spotting one.
When you do see a Turtle Dove, don’t forget to report your sighting. This helps to target conservation work to where it is needed the most.
The turtle dove is a dainty dove, smaller and darker than the collared dove and slightly larger than a blackbird. Its upperparts are distinctively mottled with chestnut and black and its black tail has a white edge.
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In the UK, Turtle Doves are now mainly a bird of eastern and south-east England although their range does extend further north and west.
Turtle Doves visit England for the breeding season, arriving in late April and May and leaving again between July and September.