Tambourine dove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tambourine dove |
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| A male bird in South Africa (above), and a female in Kenya (below) | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Turtur
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| Species: |
tympanistria
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The tambourine dove (scientific name: Turtur tympanistria) is a small pigeon found across many parts of Africa. It lives in woodlands and areas with thick plants, mostly south of the Sahara Desert. You can find it from Senegal in the west, all the way to Ethiopia and Kenya in the east. It also lives south through eastern Africa to South Africa. However, it does not live in the very dry parts of southwestern Africa. There is also a group of these doves living on the Comoros Islands.
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Where Tambourine Doves Live
These doves love thick woodlands. They can also be found in dense gardens and farms that grow plants like castor oil, cocoa, and rubber. Because they are shy, you usually only see them when they fly away. They spend a lot of time looking for food on the forest floor.
Life Cycle and Family
The tambourine dove builds a simple nest made of sticks. It usually places its nest low down in a thick bush or tangled vines. The female dove lays two cream-colored eggs. Both the male and female doves help to keep the eggs warm, but the female does most of the work. The eggs hatch in about 13 days. The baby doves, called chicks, stay in the nest for another 13 to 14 days until they are ready to fly. The parents feed the chicks by bringing up food from their own stomachs.
What Tambourine Doves Look Like
The tambourine dove is a small, plump pigeon. It is usually about 22 centimeters (about 8.7 inches) long.
Male Tambourine Doves
Male doves have a white face with a black spot behind their eye. Their belly and chest are white, and the top of their head is grey. Their back, the back of their neck, wings, and tail are a light grey-brown color. When their wings are folded, you can see large, dark purple patches. The feathers under their tail are brown. Their eyes and feet are a reddish-purple color, and their beak is purple.
Female and Young Doves
Female doves are not as brightly colored as the males. Their belly is white, but their face and chest are a light grey-brown. The top of their head is grey-brown, not the blue-grey color seen on males. Young doves look similar to the females. However, they have brownish-red edges on the feathers of their back, chest, and sides. Even when they are young, tambourine doves are lighter colored underneath than other small African doves.
How They Fly
The tambourine dove flies very fast and can move quickly through the air. When they are startled and fly away, they usually stay quite low to the ground. When they are flying, you can see their chestnut-colored main flight feathers and the underside of their wings.
Sounds and Habits
The call of this bird is a sound that it repeats over and over: du-du-du-du-du.
Tambourine doves usually live alone. However, sometimes you might see them in small family groups. They can also be seen with lemon doves. They spend a lot of time on the ground, looking for food. They mainly eat seeds and small fruits. They especially like the seeds from the castor oil plant. Sometimes, they will also eat small insects and tiny snails.
