The species uses hedges, borders of forest, groves, spinneys, coppices, young tree plantations, scrubby wasteland, woody marshes, scrub and garrigue, all with agricultural areas nearby for feeding (Tucker and Heath 1994). It uses a wide variety of woodland types. It tolerates humans but does not breed close to towns or villages (Baptista et al. 2015). It breeds at low altitudes not exceeding 500 m in the temperate zone and up to 1,000-1,300 m in Mediterranean areas (Tucker and Heath 1994). Breeding commences in May. It lays two eggs (Baptista et al. 2015). The nest is a small platform of twigs lined with plant material and placed in the lowest parts of trees (Tucker and Heath 1994) and in shrubs and hedges. It mainly feeds on the ground taking seeds and fruits of weeds and cereals, but also berries, fungi and invertebrates. It is strongly migratory (Baptista et al. 2015), wintering south of the Sahara from Senegal east to Eritrea and Ethiopia (Tucker and Heath 1994).

Although the generation length for both EU and Europe regional assessments were calculated using the same methodology, new information arriving after the EU assessments were undertaken gave rise to an update in the generation lengths. This new information was then used for the Europe level assessments giving rise to a difference between the generation lengths used for the EU and Europe regions.

This species' breeding range is largely confined to and covers most of Europe and the Canary Islands (Hagemeijer and Blair 1997). It breeds in most countries in Europe, largely in Spain, but also notably in Turkey, France, Italy and Romania.

Conservation Actions Underway
CMS Appendix II. EU Birds Directive Annex II.
An International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur (2018 to 2028), aiming at halting the species population decline was approved by the European Commission and the CMS in 2018.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Good quality habitats, with available and accessible water and food, are maintained and increased on the breeding grounds (Fisher et al. 2018). Breeding and staging habitats should be managed (Lutz 2006), ensuring the conservation and re-creation of hedges with hawthorn (Crataegus) which is a favoured tree for breeding and also the reduction in agricultural herbicides (Tucker and Heath 1994). Illegal killing should be eradicated, and hunting across the range of the European turtle-dove is carried out at sustainable levels (Fisher et al. 2018). Annual national bag statistics where hunting takes place must be collected in order to develop a level of hunting which is sustainable. Research and population monitoring should be continued (Lutz 2006).