Turtledove
TURTLEDOVE (תּוֹר, H9367; τρυγών, G5583). KJV TURTLE (Song of Solomon; Jer 8:7). Alternately, DOVE (Ps 74:19). Turtledove is now generally accepted form.
The name in Heb., Gr., and many other languages is derived from its well-known cooing or purring call. The Eng. name comes from Lat. turtur, which is also part of its specific name—streptopelia turtur. Many races and related species occur through Europe, Asia and, N and central Africa. Turtledoves are common in Pal. at all seasons and many more pass through on migration, traveling between Africa and their N breeding grounds. The closely related Collared and Palm Doves are resident in Pal. and all go under one common name. The Barbary Dove, paler than the Turtledove and rather bigger, was domesticated from the Collared Dove in early times, and it can be assumed that this was kept for sacrificial use; in any case, it does not seem to have been the practice to use wild animals for this purpose. The word occurs only twice in a context other than sacrificial (Song of Solomon 2:14; Jer 8:7), where they are mentioned as birds of passage. See Bird Migration and Dove (Pigeon).