The Oriental Turtle-dove (Streptopelia orientalis) is a member of the bird family Columbidae, doves...

The Oriental Turtle-dove (Streptopelia orientalis) is a member of the bird

family Columbidae, doves and pigeons.

It has two distinctive races, S. o. orientalis in the central Siberian taiga,

and S. o. meena in open woodland in central Asia. Two white eggs, as

for all pigeons and doves, are laid in a twig nest in a tree.

Southernmost populations are resident, but most other birds migrate

south to winter in India, southeast Asia, and southern Japan. This

species is a rare vagrant to northern and western Europe. S. o.

orientalis occurs as a rarity in western Alaska and British Columbia.

This small species is very similar in plumage to its European

counterpart, the Turtle Dove. It is a little larger than that species,

particularly in the case of orientalis, about the same size as a Collared

Dove. It shares the black and white striped patch on the side of its

neck, but the breast is less pink, and the orange-brown wing feathers of

Turtle Dove are replaced with a browner hue, and darker centres.

The tail is wedge shaped, again like the Turtle Dove, but S. o. orientalis

has a grey tip to the tail. S. o. meena has a white tip to its tail like

Turtle Dove. The flight is more relaxed and direct than that of its relative.

The call is quite different from the purr of the Turtle Dove.

Zahoor,

I appreciate you detailed description of Streptopelia orientalis, Fascinating bird with a wonderful display.

Pity it was on a wire though. You might crop out just a little on the right side and move the bird off-center.