''Turtur'' is a small genus of
doves native to
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
. Species in this genus are known as wood doves.
The genus ''Turtur'' was introduced in 1783 by the Dutch naturalist
Pieter Boddaert
Pieter Boddaert (1730 – 6 May 1795) was a Dutch physician and natural history, naturalist.
Early life, family and education
Boddaert was the son of a Middelburg jurist and poet by the same name (1694–1760). The younger Pieter obtained his M.D ...
to accommodate the
blue-spotted wood dove
The blue-spotted wood dove (''Turtur afer'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.
It is abundantly present throughout Africa south of the Sahel; it is partially present in East Africa and absent in southern Africa.
Taxonomy
In 1760 the ...
(''Turtur afer''). The word ''Turtur'' is Latin for "turtle dove".
Species
The genus contains five species:
References
Bird genera
{{Columbiformes-stub