Red-eyed dove

Streptopelia semitorquata

The Red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Woodland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara. It eats seeds and nuts, leaves and other plant parts and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Streptopelia semitorquata
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya and Uganda

🏡 Where the Red-eyed dove lives

Woodland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara.

🍽️ What it eats

🌰 Seeds & nuts40%
🌿 Leaves & plants30%
🍎 Fruit20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%

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.

💡 Its call is a deep, rhythmic coo that people often describe in words.

Hear the Red-eyed dove

Recorded by African Bioacoustics Community (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1166425. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-eyed dove

Where does the Red-eyed dove live?

The Red-eyed dove lives in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Woodland and gardens across Africa south of the Sahara.

What does the Red-eyed dove eat?

seeds and nuts (about 40%), leaves and other plant parts (about 30%), fruit (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-eyed 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.