These are found in humid and well-wooded regions of north-western, northern and eastern Australia from near Onslow in Western Australia to Bega in New South Wales, as well as in southern New Guinea.
They need to drink throughout the day and are found in thick vegetation where water is present; damp gullies, forests and mangroves, swamps, eucalyptus woodlands, tropical and sub-tropical scrubs and river margins, they have benefitted from clearing for agriculture and are common in urban areas. Here they can be seen everywhere and their call, a loud and distinctive 'cook coo cook coo', is often heard, their flight is direct and swift with the wings making a pronounced whistle.
 They feed on the ground in short grass, usually near water, mainly eating the seeds of grasses, herbs and sedges, as well as rhizomes.
The nest is usually hidden in dense shrubs or trees and in gardens, it is a thin platform made from twigs and roots and is placed in a fork or on a branch. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. Young doves are fed with 'crop milk', specially produced by the parent birds (a common characteristic of pigeons and doves).