Emerald-spotted wood dove

Turtur chalcospilos

The Emerald-spotted wood dove (Turtur chalcospilos) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, and 1 more countries. Woods and bushland across eastern and southern Africa. It eats seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Turtur chalcospilos
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, and 1 more countries

🏡 Where the Emerald-spotted wood dove lives

Woods and bushland across eastern and southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🌰 Seeds & nuts100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 The shiny green spots on its wings sparkle like emeralds.

Hear the Emerald-spotted wood dove

Recorded by James Bradley (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC396568. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Emerald-spotted wood dove

Where does the Emerald-spotted wood dove live?

The Emerald-spotted wood dove lives in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Namibia, and 1 more countries. Woods and bushland across eastern and southern Africa.

What does the Emerald-spotted wood dove eat?

seeds and nuts (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Emerald-spotted wood dove endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.