These constructions can be found mainly in the northeast region of our country, eventhough they exist in other regions, such as Beira Baixa, Estremadura and Alentejo. The northeastern dovecotes are characterized by an architectonic uniformity that consists of a circular or semi-circular working, thick stone walls, plastered and whitewashed, one single entry and flight exits in an upper level with a flagging landing, wood ceiling and a slate plate lean-to rooftop.

 

The architectonic similarities are due to the fact that the rural communities share an ecological space, the Douro basin, a transition area between the Meseta Iberica and the Atlantic coast. The landscape is composed by deep valleys ran by the Douro river and its main affluents (Sabor, Tua, Côa, Águeda) and by the poor schist and granite soils, that have always grown cereals, grape, olive and small plots. It is in this environmental and socio-economical set that the 3500 traditional dovecotes were built, between the begining  of the 19th Century and the first half of the 20th Century.