Races:
Streptopelia senegalensis ermanni Bonaparte, 1856

Synonyms

Streptopelia senegalensis centralasiae Zarudny, 1917

Description

Numerous, in places rare resident. Inhabits villages and towns, prefers sections with one-floor houses. Breeding in separate pairs, not far each of other. Nest is built in buildings mostly, and on trees, bushes and vine rod rare, from thin twigs. Clutches of 2 eggs from end February – March until October. Both parents incubate and feed juveniles. Next clutches begins 1-3 days before fledge of juveniles, which later fed by male, but sometimes they return to roost with female in new nest. Two, three or more broods per season. In late summer and in autumn birds join in small flocks and concentrate on elevators, mills and other places with plenty of food. Occurs outside of villages very rare. Winter is a critical period for this bird, which can’t survive on natural food.

Note. In spring 1960 -1961 near 500 birds successfully introduced in Almaty from Tashkent and now it dispersed widely.

Distribution

For last years widely settled in southern and eastern Kazakhstan, that was promoted by its introduction in Almaty at 1960. Now to north nests up to Aralsk and Betpak-Dala (Chulak-Espe, Koyandyozek, Dzhambulgora); in Kurgaldzhino appeared in 1993, in foothills of Tien Shan and Dzhungarskiy Alatau it reaches up to Zaysan depression, Southwest Altai (Ridder, Akzhar, Shemonaikha, Bolshenarymskoye, Alekseyevka, Katon-Karagay, Kurchum) and Semipalatinsk. In July 1981 two birds seen at Karaganda airport. In 1965 appeared in Pavlodar, where it was common till 1987. Dispersal birds observed near Orenburg, in Naurzum Reserve (in 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 and breeds now), on Tengiz lake 16-23 May 1978.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.