“…My true love sent to me…Two turtle doves…And a partridge in a pear tree.”

 

Seasons Greetings! I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy holiday season. In the spirit of this festive time of year, I have chosen to feature the Turtle Dove—a bird with an especially familiar name during the month of December. And, whether or not Christmas is your holiday of choice, it is very likely that you have heard, or will hear, carolers singing about the Turtle Dove in “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” So, here is some interesting information to share about this dainty dove …

Common Name: European Turtle Dove

Latin Name: Streptopelia turtur

Range: Migratory with a very large range. Lives mostly in Europe and North Africa in the spring and summer and sub-Saharan Africa in the autumn and winter.

Habitat: Found in many habitats including: woodland edges, farmland, open bush, orchards, parks and gardens.

Diet: Primarily Seeds. Occasionally nuts, fruits and insects. Forages mostly on the ground.

Conservation Status: Least Concern, except in Britain. In the UK, the Turtle Dove has a RED conservation status. Populations have declined by an estimated 62% since 1976. Click on RSPB to learn more about conservation efforts.

Three delightful facts about the Turtle Dove…

• The Turtle Dove’s name has no relation to the reptile, but comes from the “turrr, turrr” sound the bird makes.
• Turtle Doves are famous for their mating habits. They form strong bonds, are usually found in pairs, and are mostly monogamous for life.
• Turtle Doves often symbolize devotion, friendship, love, and fidelity.

Some Cultural References of the Turtle Dove…

“Song of Songs” of the Old Testament

“My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:10-12 King James)

Giuliano de’ Medici, c. 1478/1480, by Sandro Botticelli, National Gallery of Art

During the early Renaissance, when literacy was limited, symbolic imagery served as a crucial way to communicate with the masses.  On account of this, many works of art from this period are full of visual metaphors, carefully constructed to convey very specific messages. For example, this seemingly simple portrait of Giuliano de’Meidici, reveals complexities from subtleties present in the work…

Background: On Easter of 1478, members of the rival Pazzi family launched an attack on brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano in an effort to gain control of the government. While Giuliano was brutally stabbed to death, Lorenzo was able to escape and eventually regained political control.  Nevertheless, Giuliano’s murder was a shock to the community. In response, several works were commissioned to memorialize him while also serving as visual warnings to other conspirators. It is up for debate whether this particular work was commissioned posthumously or prior to his tragic death.

Description: Giuliano de’Medici, a member of a wealthy Florentine banking family, is depicted in an interior space, elegantly and appropriately dressed in a richly textured red overcoat with grey piping. His countenance is solemn but stern and his gaze appears to draw towards the ground.  To his right, a Turtle Dove is perched on a leafless branch. Behind him, an open window exposes the light blue, daytime sky.

Interpretation:

• Interior space: Though visibly set inside, the open window in Renaissance art typically signifies death, suggesting one’s passage from life to hereafter.
• Sunken Eyelids: Though not agreed upon by all art historians, Giuliano’s somnolent gaze may suggest the work was created posthumously from a death mask.
• Turtle Dove: The strongest argument for the commission of this work prior to his death, by Giuliano, himself, is the placement of the Turtle Dove perched on the barren branch. Giuliano’s wife, Simonetta, had passed two years earlier. In Renaissance tradition, it is said that when the mate of the Turtle Dove passes, the surviving bird perches alone a dead branch.

An Excerpt from “The Phoenix and the Turtle Dove”

So between them love did shine,

That the turtle saw his right

Flaming in the phoenix’ sight:

Either was the other’s mine.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Mr. Duncan, (Owner of Duncan’s Toy Chest): Oh yes. May I make a suggestion? Take the Turtle Doves.

Kevin McCallister: I can have two?

Mr. Duncan: Well, two turtle doves. I’ll tell you what to do: you keep one, and you give the other one to a very special person.  You see, turtle doves are a symbol of friendship and love. And, as long as each of you has your turtle dove, you’ll be friends forever.

Kevin McCallister: Wow. I never knew that. I thought they were just part of the song.

Mr. Duncan: They are, and for that very special reason.

Happy Holidays & Happy Birding!

Danielle & Michelle