A long-distance migratory dove breeding from England and Wales to the Urals, Kazakhstan, the Middle East and N Africa, but absent from the N. The nominate subspecies occurs across Europe, ssp. arenicola from Morocco to Iran, maybe the Balearic islands; and ssp. rufescens in deserts in Libya and Egypt. Winters across the Sahel. Strongly declining for decades, with an almost 80% reduction in the European breeding populations over the last 40 years.