Ring-necked Dove

The ring-necked dove, also known as the Cape turtle dove or half-collared dove, is a widespread and often abundant dove of East and southern Africa. Mostly sedentary, it occupies a variety of open habitats, from semi-desert scrub and acacia savannah to woodland and farmland. It is 25-26.5 cm long, with grey and brown plumage, lavender shades on the nape and a semi-collar of black feathers on the lower nape. By day it forages on the ground, mainly for seeds, and it roosts in treetops at night. Like all doves it depends on surface water, and in dry regions it gathers in large flocks at waterholes to drink and bathe.

About the ring-necked dove

The ring-necked dove is a gray-brown dove of East and southern Africa, also called the Cape turtle dove. It belongs to the genus Streptopelia, several of whose members share its black half-collar and soft colors, and lives in open country from savanna and scrub to farmland, where it is widespread and often abundant.

The name comes from a half-collar of black feathers across the lower nape, a mark it shares with several close relatives. Above, the plumage is a dull mix of gray and brown, with a lavender wash on the nape. The underside is paler, usually tinted pinkish lavender, and the lower belly and the feathers under the tail are white.

The tail is slate gray with white edges and bold white tips, which flash clearly when a male performs his display flight. The eyes are nearly black, the bill is black and the feet are a dark purple. Plumage varies a lot between individuals: some birds are quite pale and others look almost sooty.

Males and females look the same, though males are slightly larger. Adults measure 25–26.5 cm (9.8–10.4 in) from bill to tail and weigh 92–188 g (3.2–6.6 oz). Young birds are duller and lack the black half-collar. Their upperparts and wing feathers have buff edges, and the feathers below are broadly edged in grayish white.

Six subspecies are recognized, and they differ mostly in shade. Birds from dry regions tend to be paler and grayer than those from wetter areas. The scientific name is Streptopelia capicola, and the nominate subspecies lives in the winter-rainfall southwest of South Africa.

Behavior and diet

Ring-necked doves are mostly sedentary. They usually live alone or in pairs, but they gather in much larger flocks, sometimes hundreds strong, at roosts and at food and water. In dry country, large numbers fly in to waterholes to drink and bathe; like all doves, they depend on surface water. In the tropics they make seasonal movements, and in arid areas they wander nomadically as food and water come and go.

The daily routine is regular. They roost in treetops at night and forage on the ground by day, with feeding peaks in the early morning and late afternoon. Most drinking happens in the morning. On the ground they walk with short steps, bobbing the head back and forth with each one.

They are noisy birds. The best-known call is a loud, harsh "kuk-COORRRR-uk," repeated ten to forty times, sometimes interpreted as "how's father?" or "work harder." Its penetrating, rhythmic three-syllable crooning can be heard at any time of year and is a familiar sound across the range. Birds also give a rolling "wuh-ka-RROOO" and a raspy, snarling "kooorr" when landing, greeting a mate on the nest or chasing off another dove. Calling goes on throughout the day and sometimes into the night, especially when the moon is bright. When a flock takes off, the wings make a loud clatter.

What ring-necked doves eat

The diet is mostly seeds: grasses, cereal grain, lupins, milkweeds, introduced acacias and pines. They also take broken fruit and berries, including those of oaks, gum trees, currants and Lantana. Insects and other small animals are eaten now and then, among them earthworms, termites and weevils. Other recorded foods include small sedge bulbs, fleshy succulent leaves, aloe nectar and the sugary honeydew produced by aphids.

Breeding

Pairs are monogamous and defend a nesting territory. The male's display flight is a steep, flapping climb followed by a spiraling glide down with wings and tail spread. On a perch or on the ground, he bows in time with a rolling "uk-carrroooo," throat puffed out. When the pair picks a nest site, they give a double coo with a drawn-out second note.

The male selects twigs and leaf stalks and delivers them, and the female builds a flimsy platform over two to three days. The nest sits on a horizontal fork 2–10 m (6.5–33 ft) above the ground, and the birds often reuse an old nest built by another species. The clutch is two to four pure white eggs. Both parents incubate for about two weeks and both feed the chicks regurgitated food. The young leave the nest after about 16 days, and a pair may raise as many as five broods in one season.

Predators

Doves at exposed waterholes are hunted by lanner falcons, and black sparrowhawks take them in plantations. Other predators include reptiles, wildcats, jackals, genets, herons, storks, eagles and barn owls. Nests are raided by birds and snakes, and in Cape Town by introduced eastern gray squirrels.

Range and habitat

The ring-necked dove ranges across East and southern Africa. Its six subspecies run from the winter-rainfall southwest of South Africa through Namibia, Angola and the arid southern interior, north through tropical woodlands to South Sudan, and on from northern Tanzania to Somalia and Ethiopia. It seldom occurs above 2,000 m (6,600 ft).

It uses a wide mix of habitats, including semi-desert scrub, acacia and Boscia savanna, many kinds of woodland, farmland, open plantations and thickets of introduced acacia. In southern Africa it is most often seen in fynbos, miombo and mopane woodland and grassland of every type from moist to dry. Tree planting around farmhouses has helped it spread into open grassland. The only places that don't suit it are closed forest, dense plantations, and the waterless dunes and gravel plains of the Namib.

Ring-necked dove vs similar doves

Several Streptopelia doves share the half-collar and soft gray-brown plumage, so mix-ups are common. The ring-necked dove can be confused with the Eurasian collared dove, vinaceous dove, red collared dove, the Barbary dove (a popular cage bird with a few feral populations) and the three compared below.

Conservation status

The ring-necked dove is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with the current assessment published in 2018. It is widespread and often abundant across its range.

People have, if anything, helped it. Tree groves planted around farm homesteads have helped it spread into grassland, and it feeds on cereal grain and the seeds of introduced trees. Its main natural pressures are predators at waterholes and in plantations and nest losses to snakes, birds and, locally, introduced squirrels.