European roe deer
Capreolus capreolus
A small deer. Summer coat rusty-brown, winter greyer; a white rump patch shows when it flees. It is a resident species in Georgia.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Herbivore
Status in Georgia
Resident
Size
66–83 cm
Habitat
Woodland edge / open forest
Family
Cervidae
Conservation
LC
Human interaction: It has no venom. It does not normally attack people. A male in the rut may strike with antlers if you approach too closely. A fawn lying in grass is normal — do not pick it up. Keep dogs under control in woodland. Night-time road collision is a real risk. Do not feed it.
Overview
What is European roe deer
The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a mammal in the deer family (Cervidae). It is the western species of the genus Capreolus. Georgia’s Agency of Wildlife states it is the only roe deer in the country. The ASM Mammal Diversity Database lists Georgia in the native range. At species level, body length is often about 107–126 cm, shoulder height 66–83 cm, and mass 22–32 kg; the Agency’s Georgian text gives different figures (see Identification). It has no venom. The main human risks are road collision, dogs chasing deer, and picking up a hidden fawn — not a bite. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. The Agency states it is not on the Red List.
Last updated
Gallery
European roe deer in photos
Photo: Divlja Srbija
Photo: DidierFy
Photo: Netty3979
Photo: Bouke ten Cate
Photo: Charles J. Sharp
Dobruja ·
Photo: caroline legg
Photo: Nagy Sándor
Hungary ·
Photo: Qubix02
Identification
How to identify European roe deer
A small deer with a short tail and a white rump patch. Summer coat is rusty-brown, winter greyer. Only males grow antlers. It is resident in Georgia.
- 01
At species level (Sempéré et al. 1996, European samples) body length is about 107–126 cm, shoulder height 66–83 cm, mass 22–32 kg. The tail is short. The Agency’s Georgian page gives length about 150 cm and mass 10–25 kg; the English page gives 95–135 cm (excluding the tail) and 15–30 kg. The figures do not match. This page uses the Mammalian Species range for field size until a measured Georgian series is published. Males are usually slightly larger than females. Antlers are short, often with three tines on each side.
- 02
Summer coat is rusty-brown; winter coat is greyer and thicker. The belly is paler. A white rump patch is a useful mark when the animal flees. Fawns have white spots on the back that fade after the first months. Females have no antlers.
- 03
Red deer (Cervus elaphus) also occur in Georgia: much larger, longer- legged, with more complex antlers; they are listed as Endangered on the national Red List and remain mainly in protected areas. A roe deer is not a red-deer calf — they are separate species. Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) is larger and is not accepted here as part of Georgia’s fauna; the Agency names only C. capreolus. Tur, bezoar goat, and chamois have different outlines and habitats. Wild boar is heavier, with tusks not antlers, and a rounder print. This atlas does not yet have separate pages for red deer, tur, or chamois.
- 04
It is not venomous. Do not handle it, especially a fawn. Watch from a distance.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
In Georgia look for it in deciduous and mixed woodland, at forest edges, in open woodland with undergrowth, and on farmland next to cover. The Agency names sparse deciduous or mixed forest with well-developed undergrowth as preferred habitat. At species level it also uses more open ground, especially at dusk. This page does not map administrative regions. Country occurrence is confirmed, but a municipality-by-municipality list is not compiled here. Camera-trap records confirm Mtirala, Kintrishi, and Machakhela in Adjara (NACRES, 2020–2021). It is also named as an indicator in Algeti National Park. It is listed in the Tusheti ungulate community and as present in Kazbegi National Park, without a separate census on this page. Do not assume even density across the whole country. A Georgia-specific elevation range is not published here.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. Across the range it is a herbivore: shoots, leaves, forbs, buds, and sometimes crops. In winter it takes more woody browse. It is not a predator. The realistic picture in Georgia is the same — woodland edge and open forest — but the local menu has not been measured here.
Behavior
It is mainly active at dusk and dawn; it can also be seen by day where disturbance is low. Males shed antlers in October–November; new antlers grow in velvet. At species level the rut is in July–August. After mating the embryo stays dormant for several months (embryonic diapause) and active development resumes in late winter; fawns are born in May–June, often one or two. Newborns are spotted and lie hidden in vegetation for the first days — that is not abandonment. Those figures come from the wider range, not a Georgian birth sample. Tracks are cloven and elongated; at a run the hind print covers the front. When fleeing, the white rump patch opens.
Conservation
Lovari and co-authors assess Capreolus capreolus as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (2016). Georgia’s Agency of Wildlife states it is not on the Red List; Government Resolution No. 190 (2014) is not read here as listing this species. It appears on the Georgian hunting-mammal list as შველი; quotas and seasons are set by agency documents and are not copied here as current numbers. EUNIS places Cervidae on Appendix III of the Bern Convention; that is not a national hunting ban. In Adjara, camera traps recorded it in all three protected areas in 2020–2021, with the most photos in Mtirala. The Algeti indicator list names poaching, disturbance, and disease as pressures. A national trend is not measured on this page. Do not handle wild animals.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about European roe deer.
Yes. It is resident. The Agency of Wildlife names it as the only roe deer in Georgia. It is on national mammal checklists and on the hunting-species list.
At woodland edges, in open deciduous or mixed forest, and in undergrowth. Camera traps confirm Mtirala, Kintrishi, and Machakhela. It is also named for Algeti, Tusheti, and Kazbegi National Park. This page has no municipality list. The atlas map is not coloured.
A small deer with a short tail, rusty in summer and greyer in winter, and a white rump patch when it runs. Only males have short antlers. Red deer are much larger.
At species level shoulder height is about 66–83 cm, body length 107–126 cm, mass often 22–32 kg. Agency figures differ. There is no separate measured Georgian series on this page.
Plants — shoots, leaves, forbs, buds. Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia on this page.
Mainly at dusk and dawn. It can also appear by day. It is resident and does not migrate like many birds. Fawns are born in late spring.
It is not venomous. It does not normally attack. Do not pick up a fawn. Control dogs. Drive carefully at night on forest roads.
It is globally Least Concern. The Agency states it is not on Georgia’s Red List. It is listed as a hunting species; season and quota are set by official rules. Hunting in protected areas is prohibited unless a separate rule says otherwise.
- Lovari et al. 2016 — IUCN Red List, Capreolus capreolus
- EUNIS — Capreolus capreolus
- Sempéré, Sokolov & Danilkin 1996 — Mammalian Species 538, Capreolus capreolus
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database — Capreolus capreolus
- Wilson & Reeder 2005 — Mammal Species of the World, Capreolus capreolus
- საქართველოს ველური ბუნების ეროვნული სააგენტო — ევროპული შველი
- Bukhnikashvili & Kandaurov 2002 — The annotated list of mammals of Georgia
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- FAOLEX — საქართველოს სანადირო სახეობების ნუსხა (ძუძუმწოვრები)
- NACRES / CNF / UNDP 2021 — ungulate monitoring in Adjara (Mtirala, Kintrishi, Machakhela)
- NACRES / UNDP 2020 — biomonitoring indicator shortlist (Algeti NP)
- NACRES / CNF / UNDP 2021 — East Caucasian tur monitoring (Tusheti ungulate community)
- NACRES / CNF / UNDP 2022 — tur monitoring (Kazbegi NP)
- NACRES / UNDP 2021 — Red deer monitoring in Georgia
- Wikimedia Commons — Srndać na detelini (Divlja Srbija, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Capreolus capreolus 03.2025 (1) (DidierFy, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Rehbock (Netty3979, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Capreolus capreolus (caroline legg, CC BY 2.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Ree (Bouke ten Cate, CC BY 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — male, Dobruja (Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — one-week fawn, Hungary (Nagy Sándor, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Sarna w biegu (Qubix02, CC BY 4.0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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