Turtur

Turtur is a small genus of doves native to Sub-Saharan Africa.^[2] Species in this genus are known as wood doves.

Wood doves
Turtur chalcospilos (behind) and Turtur afer (front) by Henrik Grönvold
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Subfamily:	Columbinae
Genus:	Turtur Boddaert, 1783
Type species
Columba afra[1] Linnaeus, 1766
Species
See text.

The genus Turtur was introduced in 1783 by the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert to accommodate the blue-spotted wood dove (Turtur afer).^[3][4] The word Turtur is Latin for "turtle dove".^[5]

Species

The genus contains five species:^[6]

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Distribution
	Turtur chalcospilos	Emerald-spotted wood dove	eastern and southern Africa.
	Turtur abyssinicus	Black-billed wood dove	Africa just south of the Sahara Desert.
	Turtur afer	Blue-spotted wood dove	Africa south of the Sahel
	Turtur tympanistria	Tambourine dove	from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Kenya and southwards through eastern Africa to south-eastern South Africa
	Turtur brehmeri	Blue-headed wood dove	African tropical rainforest.