Capreolus capreolus
Divlja Srbija
The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), in Georgian შველი, 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 and English pages give different figures (see Identification). It has no venom. The main human risks are road collision, free-ranging dogs, and picking up a hidden fawn — not a bite. It is an important forest herbivore and prey for large carnivores. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. The Agency states it is not on the Red List. On this page’s records-by-region map table, no region currently has status “distribution confirmed”. Records from Adjara, Samtskhe — Javakheti, Kakheti, Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Tbilisi, Abkhazia, Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti and Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti are recorded-only for now and are not treated as distribution.
Identification
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.
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.
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.
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. Bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) has permanent curved horns, a beard in adult males, and a different outline on steep slopes. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is heavier, with tusks not antlers, and a rounder print. Tur and chamois also differ in silhouette and habitat; this atlas does not yet have a separate chamois page.
It is not venomous. Do not handle it, especially a fawn. Watch from a distance.
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. Only regions whose status is “distribution confirmed” on the records-by-region table count as distribution. At present no region has that status; map records remain recorded-only. Country occurrence is confirmed. Do not assume even density across the whole country. Camera-trap monitoring by NACRES (2020–2021) recorded it in all three Adjara study areas — Mtirala National Park, Kintrishi Protected Areas, and Machakhela National Park — with 2,188 photos in total. Independent-photo trapping rates were highest in Mtirala (6.68 per 100 trap-days), then Machakhela (3.14) and Kintrishi (1.31). In Machakhela every camera unit recorded roe deer; distribution there was more even than for chamois. Most photos were taken in spring and summer, with a clear summer peak in Mtirala and lower rates in autumn and winter. Early winter placement in the programme favoured lower trails when snow was deep around 1,400 m; that is a survey choice, not a published national elevation limit for the species. It is named as an indicator species for Algeti National Park (NACRES biomonitoring shortlist). The Agency of Protected Areas lists roe deer among the main mammals of Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. It is listed in the Tusheti ungulate community and as present in Kazbegi National Park, without a separate census on this page. A Georgia-specific elevation range in metres is not published here.
The European roe deer map combines Reptiles.ge editorial photo records with public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates confirmed distribution from recorded-only regions.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
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There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. Across the range it is a selective herbivore: shoots, leaves, forbs, buds, and sometimes crops. In winter it takes more woody browse. It is not a predator. Georgia’s Forest Biodiversity situation analysis notes that forests supply leaves, nuts and roots used by roe deer and wild boar. The realistic picture in Georgia is woodland edge and open forest, but the local menu has not been measured here.
Related guides
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.
On the records-by-region map table, no region currently has status “distribution confirmed”. Adjara, Samtskhe — Javakheti, Kakheti, Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Tbilisi, Abkhazia, Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti and Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti show only isolated records for now and are not treated as distribution. At woodland edges, in open deciduous or mixed forest, and in undergrowth. Camera-trap monitoring separately notes Mtirala, Kintrishi, and Machakhela, with the highest trapping rate in Mtirala. It is also named for Algeti, Borjomi-Kharagauli, Tusheti, and Kazbegi National Park — those are source localities, not map-table confirmed distribution.
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; bezoar goat has curved permanent horns.
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, and in winter more woody browse. Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia on this page.
Mainly at dusk and dawn. It can also appear by day. Adjara camera traps recorded more photos in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. 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. Poaching of forest ungulates remains a documented pressure in Georgia.
References
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
