Black-billed Wood-Dove
Turtur abyssinicus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderColumbiformes
- FamilyColumbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
- GenusTurtur
- SpeciesTurtur abyssinicus (Black-billed Wood-Dove)
The black-billed wood dove or black-billed dove (Turtur abyssinicus) is a pigeon which is a widespread resident breeding bird in a belt across Africa just south of the Sahara Desert. This species is abundant in near desert, scrub and savannah. It builds a stick nest in a tree, often an acacia, and lays two cream-colored eggs. Its flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general, and it tends to stay quite low. Black-billed wood dove is a small plump pigeon, typically 20 cm in length. Its back, hindneck, wings and tail are pale grey brown, and the folded wings have dark metallic patches. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Wood-Dove sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Virunga National Park
Tambourine Dove
Turtur tympanistria
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
Turtur afer
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Turtur chalcospilos
Red-eyed Dove
Streptopelia semitorquata
Cape Turtle Dove
Streptopelia capicola
Rameron Pigeon
Columba arquatrix
LADO
Spilopelia senegalensis
Dusky Turtle Dove
Streptopelia lugens
African Green Pigeon
Treron calvus
Speckled Pigeon
Columba guinea
African Mourning Dove
Streptopelia decipiens
Western Bronze-naped Pigeon
Columba iriditorques
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 2 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Kidepo Valley National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 6 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 7 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 8 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Black-billed Wood-Dove in Virunga National Park?
About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Black-billed Wood-Dove sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Black-billed Wood-Dove in Virunga National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Black-billed Wood-Dove in Virunga National Park in our monthly data.