Streptopelia orientalis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Oriental turtle dove or rufous turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis) is a member of the bird family Columbidae. The species has a wide native distribution range from Central Asia east across Asia to Japan. The populations show variations in the patterning of plumage and have been designated into at least six named subspecies. Populations in the higher latitudes tend to migrate south in winter, while those closer to the tropics are sedentary. Vagrants have been recorded in North America. The species is predominantly granivorous and forages on the ground.
The genus name Streptopelia is from Ancient Greek streptos, "collar" and peleia, "dove". The specific orientalis is Latin for "eastern", in this case referring to the type locality, China. The species has a wide distribution with geographical variation in plumage that has led to at least six subspecies being designated. The distributions of many are not disjunct and gradation exists except in some island populations. Some of the populations of Streptopelia turtur that occur on the eastern edge can be very similar in appearance to S. orientalis and in the past the two species have been lumped together.
western Oriental... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Hemis National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 7 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 9 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 11 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 12 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 15 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 18 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 22 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 23 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 24 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Turtle Dove sighting in Nikko National Park on a given day, based on 235 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August–September
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Turtle Dove in Nikko National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oriental Turtle Dove sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Oriental Turtle Dove sightings, Nikko National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Langtang National Park (Nepal, about 40%) and Hemis National Park (India, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oriental Turtle Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Nikko National Park (235 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.
