The Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola), also known as the Cape Turtle Dove or Half-collared Dove, is a widespread and often abundant dove species in East and southern Africa. It is a mostly sedentary bird, found in a catholic variety of open habitats. Within range, its penetrating and rhythmic, three-syllabled crooning is a familiar sound at any time of the year. Its name is derived from the semi-collar of black feathers on the lower nape, a feature shared with a number of Streptopelia species. Like all doves they depend on surface water. They congregate in large flocks at waterholes in dry region to drink and bathe.
The eyes are small and black. Their body feathers are darkest on the upper side, where they are colored in dull tones of grey and brown, with shades of lavender on the nape. It is paler below, where a tint of pinkish lavender is usually present. The lower belly and crissum is white. As with related species, they have white fringes and conspicuous white tips to the otherwise slate grey tail feathers. The tail pattern is particularly noticeable during the display flight.
They are vulnerable at exposed waterholes or in plantations where they are preyed on by Lanner Falcons and Black Sparrowhawks respectively. In addition they are preyed on by reptiles, wild cats, jackals, genets, herons, storks, eagles and Barn Owls. Nests are vulnerable to birds, snakes and locally, grey squirrel.
These doves are usually found alone or in pairs, although they do form larger flocks around roosts or sources of food and water, sometimes comprising hundreds of birds. They are quite noisy in these groups, not only for the various calls they make throughout the day, or often into (mainly moonlit) nights, but also due to the loud clatter of their wings when they take flight.
Their song is a loud and harsh “kuk-COORRRR-uk, ...” (sometimes interpreted as 'how's father?' or 'work harder') which they may repeat ten to forty times.
Males display by flapping up a steep gradient before spiraling down with wings and tail spread out. From a perch or on the ground the male will engage in a bowing display, synchronized with a rolling crooning, “uk-carrroooo, ...”, while the throat is inflated. A pair will give a double coo with a long second syllable when selecting a nest site.