Streptopelia capicola
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The ring-necked dove (Streptopelia capicola), also known as the Cape turtle dove, half-collared dove, or the Cape Lager is a widespread and often abundant dove species in East and southern Africa. It is a mostly sedentary bird, found in a variety of open habitats. Within range, its penetrating and rhythmic, three-syllabled crooning is a familiar sound at any time of the year. Its name is derived from the semi-collar of black feathers on the lower nape, a feature shared with a number of Streptopelia species. Like all doves, they depend on surface water. They congregate in large flocks at waterholes in dry regions to drink and bathe.
Their body feathers are darkest on the upper side, where they are coloured in dull tones of grey and brown, with shades of lavender on the nape. It is paler below, where a tint of pinkish lavender is usually present. The lower belly and crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca) is white. As with related species, they have white fringes and conspicuous white tips to the otherwise slate grey tail feathers. The tail pattern is particularly noticeable during the display flight.
Individual plumage variation is high, with some light... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Brazzaville | 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo | |
| 5 | Lusaka | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Lubango | 🇦🇴 Angola | |
| 8 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 9 | Lilongwe | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 10 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Ōmiya Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Turtle Dove sighting in Lower Zambezi National Park on a given day, based on 239 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 241 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–August and October–January
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Turtle Dove in Lower Zambezi National Park on a given day, against about 60% in September, the lowest month. February and March have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Turtle Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 54
Of the 54 parks where we can rate Cape Turtle Dove sightings, Lower Zambezi National Park ranks 10th at about 70%. The best odds are in Etosha National Park (Namibia, about 80%), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 80%) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Streptopelia
The closest relatives of the Cape Turtle Dove that you can see in Lower Zambezi National Park (genus Streptopelia, Turtle-Doves and Collared-Doves) are Red-eyed Dove (about 40%) and African Mourning Dove (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Turtle Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Lower Zambezi National Park (239 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
