View source for Roe deer

{{Short description|Species of deer}}
{{Speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref  = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Capreolus capreolus'' |author=Lovari, S. |author2=Herrero, J. |author3=Masseti, M. |author4=Ambarli, H. |author5=Lorenzini, R. |author6=Giannatos, G. |date=2016 |article-number=e.T42395A22161386 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T42395A22161386.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) young male Cumnor.jpg
| image_caption = Young male
| image2 = Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) female Cumnor.jpg
| image2_caption = Female<br />both in Oxfordshire
| taxon = Capreolus capreolus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])<ref name=Linnæus1758>{{cite book|last=Linnæus |first=C. |title=Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I|year=1758|publisher=Laurentius Salvius|location=Holmiæ (Stockholm) |page=78 |chapter=''Cervus capreolus'' |edition=10th |language=la |chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/80764#page/78/mode/1up}}</ref>
| range_map = Areale Capreolus capreolus.jpg
| range_map_caption  = Range of roe deer
| synonyms = ''Cervus capreolus'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
}}

The '''roe deer''' ('''''Capreolus capreolus'''''), also known as the '''roe''', '''western roe deer''',<ref name=itis>{{cite web |url=https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625063 |title=''Capreolus capreolus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=17 January 2020 |website=Integrated Taxonomic Information System |publisher=United States Government |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor1=Wilson, Don E. |editor2=F. Russell Cole |date=2000 |title=Common Names of Mammals of the World |location=Washington D.C. |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |isbn=1-56098-383-3}}</ref> or '''European roe''',<ref name=itis/> is a species of [[deer]]. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a '''roebuck'''. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. The species is widespread in Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Scotland to the [[Caucasus]], and east as far as northern Iran.

==Etymology==
The English ''roe'' is from the [[Old English]] {{Lang|ang|rā}} or ''{{Lang|ang|rāha}}'', from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''*raihô'', cognate with [[Old Norse]] ''{{Lang|non|rá}}'', [[Old Saxon]] ''rēho'', [[Middle Dutch]] and Dutch ''{{Lang|nl|ree}}'', [[Old High German]] ''{{Lang|goh|rēh}}'', ''{{Lang|goh|rēho}}'', ''{{Lang|goh|rēia}}'', German ''{{Lang|de|Reh}}''. It is perhaps ultimately derived from a [[PIE]] root ''*rei-'', meaning "streaked, spotted or striped".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/roe |title=Roe |last=Harper |first=Douglas |date=2020 |website=Online Etymological Dictionary |publisher=Douglas Harper |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |last=Johnson |first=Mary Lynch |date=1927 |title=A Modern English - Old English Dictionary |type=PhD Dissertation |publisher=Meredith College |url=http://old-engli.sh/dictionary.php |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref>

The word is attested on the 5th-century [[Caistor-by-Norwich astragalus]]{{snd}}a roe deer [[talus bone]], written in [[Elder Futhark]] as {{Runic|ᚱᚨᛇᚺᚨᚾ}}, transliterated as ''raïhan''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.runesdb.eu/find-list/d/fa/q////6/f/613/c/440b5a2fa0e8fef812178a747e134735/ |title=Caistor-by-Norwich, astragalus |access-date=18 October 2019 |publisher=RUNES: Forshungsproject der Akadmeia der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Waxenberger |first=Gaby |editor-last=Stoklund |editor-first=Marie |editor2-last=Nielsen |editor2-first=Michael Lerche |contribution=The Yew-Rune and the Runes Haglaz, Gyfu, Ior, and Is in the Old English Corpus |title=Runes and their secrets: Studies in Runology |publisher =Museum Tusculanum Press |year=2006 |pages=385–414 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=USIpSluLe10C |isbn=87-635-0428-6|display-editors=etal}} pp. 389-91.</ref>

In the English language, this deer was originally simply called a 'roe', but over time the word 'roe' has become a qualifier, and it is now usually called 'roe deer'.<ref name=Lister1998>{{cite book |last1=Lister |first1=A. M. |last2=Grubb |first2=P. |last3=Summer |first3=S. R. M. |date=1998 |chapter=Taxonomy, morphology and evolution of European roe deer |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313614330 |editor1-last=Andersen |editor1-first=R. |editor2-last=Duncan |editor2-first=P. |editor3-last=Linnell |editor3-first=J. D. C. |title=The European roe deer: the biology of success |location=Oslo |publisher=Scandinavian University Press |pages=23–46}}</ref>

The [[Koiné Greek]] name {{Lang|grc|πύγαργος}}, transliterated ''[[pygarg]]os'', mentioned in the [[Septuagint]] and the works of various writers such as [[Hesychius of Alexandria|Hesychius]], [[Herodotus]] and later [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Hofmann |first=Johann Jacob |author-link=Johann Jacob Hofmann |date=1698 |chapter=Pygargus |chapter-url=https://latin_latin.academic.ru/49664 |title=[[Lexicon Universale]] |location=Leiden |publisher=Jacob Hackium et al. }}</ref> was originally thought to refer to this species (in many European translations of the Bible), although it is now more often believed to refer to the [[addax]]. It is derived from the words 
''{{lang|grc|[[wikt:πυγή|pyge]]}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|buttocks}}) and 
''{{lang|grc|[[wikt:ἀργός|argo]]}}'' ({{transliteration|grc|white}}).

The taxonomic name ''Capreolus'' is derived from ''capra'' or ''caprea'', meaning 'billy goat', with the diminutive suffix -''olus''. The meaning of this word in [[Latin language|Latin]] is not entirely clear: it may have meant '[[ibex]]' or '[[chamois]]'.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Charlton Thomas |author-link=Charlton Thomas Lewis |last2=Short |first2=Charles |date=1879 |title=A Latin Dictionary |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=capreolus |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press }}</ref> The roe was also known as ''{{Lang|la|capraginus}}'' or ''{{Lang|la|capruginus}}'' in Latin.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gaffiot |first=Félix |author-link=Félix Gaffiot |date=1934 |chapter=''Capraginus'' |chapter-url=http://micmap.org/dicfro/search/gaffiot/capreolus |title=[[Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français]] |language=fr |location=Paris |publisher=Hachette |page=261}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
[[Linnaeus]] first [[Species description|described]] the roe deer in the modern taxonomic system as ''Cervus capreolus'' in 1758.<ref name=Linnæus1758/><ref name=itis/> The initially [[monotypic]] genus ''Capreolus'' was first proposed by [[John Edward Gray]] in 1821, although he did not provide a proper description for this [[taxon]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gray |first1=J.E. |author-link1=John Edward Gray |date=1821 |title=On the natural arrangement of Vertebrose Animals |journal=London Medical Repository |volume=15 |pages=296–310 |url=https://archive.org/stream/londonmedicalre08unkngoog#page/n320}}</ref> Gray was not actually the first to use the name ''Capreolus'', it has been used by other authors before him. Nonetheless, his publication is seen as taxonomically acceptable.<ref name=Lister1998/> He was generally ignored until the 20th century, most 19th-century works having continued to follow Linnaeus.

Roe deer populations gradually become somewhat larger as one moves further to the east, peaking in Kazakhstan, then becoming smaller again towards the Pacific Ocean. The Soviet mammalogist [[Vladimir Sokolov (scientist)|Vladimir Sokolov]] had recognised this as a separate species from 1985 already using [[electrophoresis|electrophoretic]] [[chromatography]] to show differences in the fractional protein content of the body tissues.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sokolov |first1=V.E. |author-link1=Vladimir Sokolov (scientist) |last2=Shurkhal |first2=A. V. |last3=Danilkin |first3=A. A. |last4=Podogas |first4=A.V. |last5=Rakitskaya |first5=T.A. |last6=Markov |first6=G.G. |date=1986 |title=A comparative analysis of electrophoretic spectra of blood and muscle tissue proteins of European (''Capreolus capreolus'' L.) and Siberian (''Capreolus pygargus'' Pall.) roe deer |journal=Доклады Академии наук СССР |volume=288 |issue=5 |pages=1274–1276 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sokolov |first1=V.E. |author-link1=Vladimir Sokolov (scientist) |last2=Gromov |first2=V.S. |date=1990 |title=The contemporary ideas on roe deer (''Capreolus'' Gray, 1821) systematization: Morphological, ethological and hybridological analysis |journal=Mammalia |volume=54 |issue=3 |pages=431–444 |doi=10.1515/mamm.1990.54.3.431 |s2cid=85170836}}</ref> Fawns, females and males make different noises between species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Соколов |first1=В.Е. |author-link1=Vladimir Sokolov (scientist) |last2=Громов |first2=В.С. |last3=Рутовская |first3=М.В. |date=1987 |title=Звуковая Сигнализация у Европейской (''Capreolus capreolus'') и Сибирской (''С. pygargus'') Косуль |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314750733 |journal=Зоологический Журнал |volume=66 |issue=3 |pages=430–443}}</ref> Alexander S. Graphodatsky looked at the [[karyotype|karyotypy]] to present more evidence to recognise these Russian and Asian populations as a separate species, now renamed the eastern or [[Siberian roe deer]] (''C. pygargus'').<ref name=Dementyeva2010>{{cite journal |last1=Dementyeva |first1=P.V. |last2=Trifonov |first2=V.A. |last3=Kulemzina |first3=A.I. |last4=Graphodatsky |first4=A.S. |date=2010 |title=Reconstruction of the Putative Cervidae Ancestral Karyotype by Chromosome Painting of Siberian Roe Deer (''Capreolus pygargus'') with Dromedary Probes |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43299541 |journal=Cytogenetic and Genome Research |volume=128 |issue=4 |pages=228–235 |doi=10.1159/000298878 |pmid=20413959 |s2cid=33566777}}</ref><ref name=Vorobieva2011>{{cite journal |last1=Vorobieva |first1=N.V. |last2=Sherbakov |first2=D.Y. |last3=Druzhkova |first3=A.S. |last4=Stanyon |first4=R. |last5=Tsybankov |first5=A.A. |last6=Vasil'ev |first6=S.K. |last7=Shunkov |first7=M.V. |last8=Trifonov |first8=V.A. |last9=Graphodatsky |first9=A.S. |date=2011 |title=Genotyping of ''Capreolus pygargus'' Fossil DNA from Denisova Cave Reveals Phylogenetic Relationships between Ancient and Modern Populations |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=6 |issue=8 |article-number=e24045 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0024045|pmid=21897868 |pmc=3163676 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...624045V |doi-access=free}}</ref>

This new taxonomic interpretation ([[Circumscription (taxonomy)|circumscription]]) was first followed in the American book ''Mammal Species of the World'' in 1993.<ref name=itis2>{{cite web |url=https://itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625064 |title=''Capreolus pygargus'' (Pallas, 1771) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |website=Integrated Taxonomic Information System |publisher=United States Government |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref> Populations of the roe deer from east of the [[Khopyor|Khopyor River]] and [[Don River]] to Korea are considered to be this species.<ref name=Lee2016>{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Yun Sun |last2=Markov |first2=Nickolay |last3=Argunov |first3=Alexander |last4=Voloshina |first4=Inna |last5=Bayarlkhagva |first5=Damdingiin |last6=Kim |first6=Baek-Jun |last7=Min |first7=Mi-Sook |last8=Lee |first8=Hang |last9=Kim |first9=Kyung Seok |date=2016 |title=Genetic diversity and phylogeography of Siberian roe deer, ''Capreolus pygargus'', in central and peripheral populations |url= |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=2016 |issue=20 |pages=7286–7297 |doi=10.1002/ece3.2458 |pmid=28725397 |pmc=5513270|bibcode=2016EcoEv...6.7286L }}</ref>

===Subspecies===
[[File:NZ8 4958 (53076882987).jpg|thumb|''C. capreolus'' near Stockholm, Sweden]]
The [[Integrated Taxonomic Information System]], following the 2005 ''Mammal Species of the World'', gives the following [[subspecies]]:<ref name=itis/><ref name=msw3>{{MSW3|id=14200217 |heading=Species ''Capreolus capreolus''}}</ref>
*''C. c. capreolus'' <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
*''C. c. canus'' <small>[[Gerrit Smith Miller Jr.|Miller]], 1910</small> - Spain
*''C. c. caucasicus'' <small>Nikolay Yakovlevich Dinnik, 1910</small> - A large subspecies found in the region to the north of the [[Caucasus Mountains]]; although ''Mammal Species of the World'' appears to recognise the taxon, this work bases itself on a chapter by Lister ''et al''. in the 1998 book ''The European roe deer: the biology of success'', which only recognises the name as provisional.<ref name=Lister1998/>
*''C. c. italicus'' <small>Enrico Festa, 1925</small> - Italy

This is just one ([[Lumpers and splitters|extreme]]) interpretation among a number of them. Two main specialists did not recognise these taxa and considered the species to be without subspecies in 2001.<ref name=Hewison2001>{{cite journal |last1=Hewison |first1=A. J. M. |last2=Danilkin |first2=A. A. |date=2001 |title=Evidence for separate specific status of European (''Capreolus capreolus'') and Siberian (''C. pygargus'') roe deer |url=https://archive.org/details/biostor-183838 |journal=Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde |volume=66 |pages=13–21 |access-date=21 November 2020}}</ref> The European Union's ''Fauna Europaea'' recognised in 2005 two subspecies, but besides the [[Nominate (taxonomy)|nominate]] form recognises the Spanish population as the [[endemic]] ''C. c. garganta'' <small>Meunier, 1983</small>.<ref name=FaunaEuro>{{cite web |title=''Capreolus capreolus'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |last=Bogdanowicz |first=W. |date=2005 |website=Fauna Europaea |publisher=European Union |url=http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=305258 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905222034/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=305258 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref><ref name=Sommer2008>{{cite journal |last1=Sommer |first1=R.S. |last2=Fahlke |first2=J. M. |last3=Schmölcke |first3=U. |last4=Benecke |first4=N. |last5=Zachos |first5=F. E. |date=2008 |title=Quaternary history of the European roe deer ''Capreolus capreolus'' |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229775588 |journal=Mammal Review |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.2008.00137.x}}</ref>

===Systematics===
Roe deer are most closely related to the [[water deer]], and, counter-intuitively, the three species in this group, called the Capreolini, are most closely related to [[moose]] and [[reindeer]].<ref name=Heckeberg2020>{{cite journal |last1=Heckeberg |first1=N.S. |date=2020 |title=The systematics of the Cervidae: a total evidence approach |journal=PeerJ |volume=8 |article-number=e8114 |doi=10.7717/peerj.8114 |pmid=32110477 |pmc=7034380 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Although roe deer were once classified as belonging to the Cervinae [[subfamily]], they are now classified as part of the [[Capreolinae]], which includes the deer that developed in the New World.<ref name=Hewison2001/>

===Hybrids===
Both the European roe deer and [[Siberian roe deer]] have seen their populations increase, both around the 1930s. In recent times, since the 1960s,<ref name=Hewison2001/> the two species have become [[sympatric]] where their distributions meet, and there is now a broad 'hybridization zone' running from the right side of the Volga River up to eastern Poland. It is extremely difficult for hunters to know which species they have bagged.<ref name=Plakhina2014>{{cite journal |last1=Plakhina |first1=D.A. |last2=Zvychainaya |first2=E.Yu. |last3=Kholodova |first3=M.V. |last4=Danilkin |first4=A. |date=2014 |title=Identification of European (''Capreolus capreolus'' L.) and Siberian (''C. pygargus'' Pall.) roe deer hybrids by microsatellite marker analysis |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272038191 |journal=Russian Journal of Genetics |volume=50 |issue=7 |pages=757–762 |doi=10.1134/S1022795414070151 |pmid=25720144 |s2cid=7659420}}</ref> In line with [[Haldane's rule]], female hybrids of the two [[taxon|taxa]] are fertile, while male hybrids are not.<ref name=Sommer2008/><ref name=Stubbe1979>{{cite journal |last1=Stubbe |first1=H. |last2=Brukhgol'ts |first2=Z. |date=1979 |title=[Experiments of hybridization of the roe and tartarian deer ''Capreolus capreolus capreolus'' x ''Capreolus capreolus pygargus''] |url=https://eurekamag.com/research/005/428/005428378.php |journal=Zoologicheskiĭ Zhurnal |volume=58 |issue=9 |pages=1398–1403 |language=ru}}</ref> Hybrids are much larger than normal and a [[Cesarean section]] was sometimes needed to birth the fawns, becoming larger than their mothers at the age of 4–5 months. F1 hybrid males may be sterile, but backcrosses with the females are possible.<ref name=Stubbe1979/>

22% of the animals around Moscow carry the mtDNA of the European roe deer and 78% of the Siberian. In the Volgograd region, the European roe deer predominates.<ref name=Plakhina2014/> In the regions of Stavropol (Russia) and Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine), most of the deer are Siberian roe deer.<ref name=Plakhina2014/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Danilkin |first1=A. |last2=Plakhina |first2=D.A. |last3=Zvychaynaya |first3=E. Y. |last4=Domnich |first4=A. V. |date=2017 |title=Siberian Roe Deer (''Capreolus pygargus'' Pallas, 1771) in Ukraine: Analysis of the Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA |journal=Biology Bulletin |volume=44 |issue=6 |pages=575–583 |doi=10.1134/S106235901706005X |bibcode=2017BioBu..44..575D |s2cid=3542209}}</ref> In northeastern Poland there is also evidence of [[introgression]] with the Siberian roe deer, which was likely an [[Introduced species]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Olano-Marin |first1=Juanita |last2=Plis |first2=Kamila |last3=Sönnichsen |first3=L. |last4=Borowik |first4=T. |last5=Niedziałkowska |first5=M. |last6=Jędrzejewska |first6=B. |date=2014 |title=Weak Population Structure in European Roe Deer (''Capreolus capreolus'') and Evidence of Introgressive Hybridization with Siberian Roe Deer (''C. pygargus'') in Northeastern Poland |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=10 |article-number=e109147 |pmc=4182808 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0109147 |pmid=25271423 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...9j9147O |doi-access=free}}</ref> In some cases, such as around Moscow, former introductions of European stock is likely responsible.<ref name=Plakhina2014/>

==Description==
[[File:Capreolus capreolus (Marek Szczepanek).jpg|thumb|Roe deer in a grassland area]]
[[File:Young roe deer.jpg|thumb|Young roe deer]]
[[File:Roe_deer_antler.jpg|thumb|Roe deer antler]]
[[File:Capreolus_capreolus_373892216.jpg|thumb|Moulting roe buck with freshly rubbed antlers]]

The roe deer is a relatively small deer, with a body length of {{convert|95|-|135|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} throughout its range, and a shoulder height of {{convert|63|-|67|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a weight of {{convert|15|-|35|kg|lb|round=5|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Macdonald1993>{{cite book |author= Macdonald, David W. |author2= Barrett, Priscilla |year=1993 |title= Mammals of Europe |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |location=Oxford |pages=211–214 |isbn=0-691-09160-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofeurope00macd/page/211}}</ref> Populations from [[Urals]] and northern [[Kazakhstan]] are larger on average growing to {{convert|145|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|85|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} at shoulder height, with body weights of up to {{convert|60|kg|lb|round=5|abbr=on}}, with the populations becoming smaller again further east in the [[Transbaikal]], [[Amur Oblast]], and [[Primorsky Krai]] regions.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} In healthy populations, where population density is restricted by hunting or predators, bucks are slightly larger than does. Under other conditions, males can be similar in size to females, or slightly smaller.<ref name=Macdonald1993/>

Bucks in good conditions develop antlers up to {{convert|20|-|25|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long with two or three, rarely even four, points. When the male's antlers begin to regrow, they are covered in a thin layer of [[velvet antler|velvet]]-like fur which they shed later on after the hair's blood supply is lost. Males may speed up the process by rubbing their antlers on trees, so that their antlers are hard and stiff for the duels during the mating season. Unlike most cervids, roe deer begin regrowing antlers almost immediately after they are shed.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} In rare cases, some bucks possess only a single antler branch, the result of a genetic defect.<ref>{{cite web|author=Falconi, M.|date=June 12, 2008|title='Unicorn' deer is found in Italian preserve|website=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25097986|access-date=May 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Bittel, J.|date=November 12, 2014|title=Real-Life 'Unicorn' Found; Deer Has Extremely Rare Deformity|website=National Geographic|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/141112-unicorn-deer-slovenia-antlers-science-animals|access-date=May 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Distribution==
The roe deer is found in most areas of Europe, with the exception of northernmost [[Scandinavia]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.miljolare.no/artstre/?or_id=761 |title=Rådyr (''Capreolus capreolus'') |author=<!--not stated--> |website=Miljølare.no |publisher=Skolelaboratoriet, [[Bergen University]] |language=no |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref> Iceland, Ireland, and the islands of the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref name=FaunaEuro/> In the Mediterranean region, it is largely confined to mountainous areas, and is absent or rare at low altitudes.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} There is an early [[Neolithic]] fossil record from [[Jordan]].<ref name=msw3/>

===Belgium===
In [[Flanders]] the roe deer was mostly confined to the hilly regions in the east, but like in neighbouring countries the population has expanded in recent times. A theory is that the expansion of maize cultivation, which are higher than traditional crops and afford more shelter, has aided their expansion to the west.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zwg.atlas.tripod.com/soorten/caprcapr.htm |title=Ree |last=Christiaens |first=Bart |date=1997 |website=Zoogdieren |publisher=Bart Christiaens |language=nl |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref>

===Britain===
In England and Wales, roe deer have experienced a substantial expansion in their range in the latter half of the 20th century and continuing into the 21st century.<ref>Walker, M.D. 2016. [https://www.academia.edu/24197912 Headhunting; the distribution of deer in Great Britain]. British Naturalist, 2: 15-25</ref> This increase in population also appears to be affecting woodland ecosystems.<ref name=BBC2013>{{cite news |last=Kinver |first=Mark |title=Roe deer numbers 'changing woodland ecosystems' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20713190 |publisher=[[BBC News Online]] |date=2013 |access-date=2013-01-02}}</ref> At the start of the 20th century, they were almost extirpated in [[Southern England]], but since then have hugely expanded their range, mostly due to restrictions and decrease in hunting, increases in forests and reductions in [[arable farming]], changes in agriculture (more winter cereal crops), a massive reduction in [[extensive farming|extensive]] [[livestock husbandry]], and a general warming climate over the past 200 years. Furthermore, there are no large predators in Britain.<ref name=Goldberg2003>{{cite report |author=Emma Goldberg |date=2003 |title=English Nature Research Reports Number 548 Proceedings of the Future for Deer Conference 28 & 29 March 2003 |url=http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/131007 |publisher=[[English Nature]] |pages=1–104 |issn=0967-876X |access-date=14 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fuller |first1=R. J. |last2=Gill |first2=R. M. A. |date=2001 |title=Ecological impacts of increasing numbers of deer in British woodland |journal=Forestry |volume=74 |issue=3 |pages=193–199 |doi=10.1093/FORESTRY/74.3.193 |s2cid=86318774 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In some cases, roe deer have been introduced with human help. In 1884 roe deer were introduced from [[Württemberg]] in Germany into the [[Thetford Forest]], and these spread to populate most of Norfolk, Suffolk, and substantial parts of Cambridgeshire. In southern England, they started their expansion in Sussex (possibly from enclosed stock in [[Petworth Park]]) and from there soon spread into Surrey, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Dorset, and for the first half of the 20th century, most roe deer in Southern England were to be found in these counties. By the end of the 20th century, they had repopulated much of southern England and had expanded into Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire, and had even spread into Wales from the Ludlow area where an isolated population had appeared. At the same time, the surviving population in Scotland and the Lake District had pushed further south beyond Yorkshire and Lancashire and into Derbyshire and Humberside.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Karis H. |last2=Hoelzel |first2=A. Rus |date=January 2013 |title=Evolution of population genetic structure of the British roe deer by natural and anthropogenic processes (''Capreolus capreolus'') |url= |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=89–102 |doi=10.1002/ece3.430 |pmid=23403955 |pmc=3568846 |bibcode=2013EcoEv...3...89B }}</ref>

In the 1970s, the species was still completely absent from Wales.<ref name=BBC2013/> Roe deer can now be found in most of rural England except for southeast Kent and parts of Wales; anywhere in the UK mainland suitable for roe deer may have a population.<ref name=BBC2013/> Not being a species that needs large areas of woodland to survive, urban roe deer are now a feature of several cities, notably [[Glasgow]] and [[Bristol]], where in particular they favour cemeteries.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} In Wales, they are least common, but they are reasonably well established in Powys and Monmouthshire.<ref name=BBC2013/>

===Iran===
Roe deer are found in northern Iran in the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] region: they occur in the [[Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests|Hyrcanian woodlands]] and agricultural lands of the [[Alborz Mountains]] ([[Golestan National Park]], Jahan Nama Protected Area).<ref name=Ghoddousi2020>{{cite journal |last1=Ghoddousi |first1=Arash |last2=Bleyhl |first2=Benjamin |last3=Sichau |first3=Clara |last4=Ashayeri |first4=Delaram |last5=Moghadas |first5=Peyman |last6=Sepahvand |first6=Pooriya |last7=Hamidi |first7=Amirhossein Kh |last8=Soofi |first8=Mahmood |last9=Kuemmerle |first9=Tobias |date=25 June 2020 |title=Mapping connectivity and conflict risk to identify safe corridors for the Persian leopard |journal=Landscape Ecology |volume=2020 |issue=35 |pages=1809–1825 |doi=10.1007/s10980-020-01062-0|s2cid=220064692 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020LaEco..35.1809G }}</ref><ref name=Karimi2020>{{cite journal |last1=Karimi |first1=Sorour |last2=Hemami |first2=Mahmoud-Reza |last3=Esfahani |first3=Mostafa Tarkesh |last4=Baltzinger |first4=Christophe |date=31 August 2020 |title=Endozoochorous dispersal by herbivores and omnivores is mediated by germination conditions |journal=BMC Ecology |volume=20 |issue=49 |page=49 |doi=10.1186/s12898-020-00317-3|pmid=32867734 |pmc=7457502 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020BMCE...20...49K }}</ref>

===Ireland===
Scottish roe deer were introduced to the [[Lissadell House|Lissadell Estate]] in County Sligo in Ireland around 1870 by Sir Henry Gore-Booth.<ref>{{cite book |author=Tegner, H. |year=1951 |title=The Roe Deer: Their History, Habits, and Pursuit |publisher=Batchworth Press }}</ref> The Lissadell roe deer were noted for their occasional abnormal antlers and survived in that general area for about 50 years before they died out. According to the National Biodiversity Data Centre, in 2014 there was a confirmed sighting of roe deer in County Armagh. There have been other, unconfirmed, sightings in County Wicklow.<ref>{{cite web|last1=O'Rourke|first1=Erin|last2=Lysaght|first2=Liam|title=Risk Assessment of ''Capreolus capreolus'' |url=http://nonnativespecies.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Capreolus-capreolus-Roe-Deer.pdf|website=nonnativespecies.ie|publisher=National Biodiversity Data Centre|access-date=29 March 2018|page=6|date=22 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Roedeer_Species_Sighting_NOTICE.pdf |title=Roe Deer |website=Biodiversity Ireland |access-date=2018-03-29 |archive-date=2022-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520081034/https://www.biodiversityireland.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Roedeer_Species_Sighting_NOTICE.pdf }}</ref>

===The Netherlands===
In the Netherlands, roe deer were extirpated from the entirety of the country except for two small areas around 1875. As new forests were planted in the country in the 20th century, the population began to expand rapidly. Although it was a protected species in 1950, the population is no longer considered threatened and it has lost legal protection. As of 2016 there are some 110,000 roe deer in the country. The population is primarily kept in check through the efforts of hunters.<ref name="voermans2016">{{cite news |last=Voermans |first=Ton |date=12 February 2016 |url=http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4243294/2016/02/12/Hoera-daar-ligt-weer-een-dode-otter.dhtml |newspaper=[[Algemeen Dagblad]] |archive-date=13 February 2016 |url-status=dead |title=Hoera, daar ligt weer een dode otter |lang=nl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160213091842/https://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1012/Nederland/article/detail/4243294/2016/02/12/Hoera-daar-ligt-weer-een-dode-otter.dhtml }}</ref>

=== Israel ===
In 1991, a breeding colony of 27 roe deer coming from France, Hungary and Italy were brought in the Hai-Bar Carmel Reserve.<ref name="Wallachetal2007">{{cite journal |last1=Wallach |first1=A. |last2=Inbar |first2=M. |last3=Lambert |first3=R. |last4=Cohen |first4=S. |last5=Shanas |first5=U. |title=Hand-rearing Roe deer Capreolus capreolus: practice and research potential |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |date=July 2007 |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=183–193 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.2007.00011.x |url=https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1748-1090.2007.00011.x |access-date=13 March 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref> A small number of this roe deer population has been reintroduced to the [[Mount Carmel|Carmel Mountains]] from the [[Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve]], with the first deer being released in 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hai-Bar Carmel Nature Reserve |url=https://en.parks.org.il/reserve-park/hai-bar-carmel-nature-reserve/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Israel Nature and Parks Authority |language=en-US}}</ref> 24 to 29 animals had been released by 2006.<ref name="Wallachetal2007"/> Some of the reintroduced animals were hand-reared and could be monitored by their responses to their keeper calls.<ref name="Wallachetal2007"/><ref name="Wallachetal2008">{{cite journal |last1=Wallach |first1=Arian D. |last2=Shanas |first2=Uri |last3=Mumcuoglu |first3=Kosta Y. |last4=Inbar |first4=Moshe |title=Ectoparasites on Reintroduced Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus in Israel |journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases |date=July 2008 |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=693–696 |doi=10.7589/0090-3558-44.3.693 |pmid=18689655 |s2cid=6146837 |url=https://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article/44/3/693/121794/Ectoparasites-on-Reintroduced-Roe-Deer-Capreolus |access-date=13 March 2023|doi-access=free }}</ref><!--===Introduced range===
Please do not add anything about the island of [[Pohnpei]], this is nonsense added by an editor as a scam/joke in 2010. It has now spread across the internet, but it is FAKE!!!-->

==Ecology==

===Habitat===
[[File:Ultrasonography of pregnant European roe deer (Capreolus Capreolus).jpg|thumb|Ultrasonography of the uterine pregnancy of a roe deer in Bulgaria]]
This species is found across multiple habitats, including open agricultural areas and above the tree line, but a requisite factor is access to food and cover. It retreats to dense woodland, especially among conifers, or bramble scrub when it must rest, but it is very opportunistic and a hedgerow may be good enough. Roe deer in the southern Czech Republic live in almost completely open agricultural land.<ref name=Macdonald1993/> The animal is more likely to be spotted in places with nearby forests to retreat to.<ref name=Martin2018>{{Cite journal |last1=Martin|first1=J. |last2=Vourc'h|first2=G. |last3=Bonnot|first3=N. |last4=Cargnelutti|first4=B. |last5=Chaval|first5=Y. |last6=Lourtet|first6=B. |last7=Goulard|first7=M. |last8=Hoch |first8=T. |last9=Plantard|first9=O. |last10=Hewison|first10=A. J. M. |last11=Morellet|first11=N. |name-list-style=amp |date=2018 |title=Temporal shifts in landscape connectivity for an ecosystem engineer, the roe deer, across a multiple-use landscape |journal=Landscape Ecology |volume=33|issue=6|pages=937–954|doi=10.1007/s10980-018-0641-0|bibcode=2018LaEco..33..937M |s2cid=4694121 }}</ref> A [[pioneer species]] commonly associated with [[Phytosociology|biotic communities]] at an early stage of [[Succession (ecology)|succession]], during the [[Neolithic]] period in Europe when farming humans began to colonise the continent from the Middle East, the roe deer was abundant, taking advantage of areas of forest or woodland cleared by Neolithic farmers.<ref name=Boyle2006>{{cite book |last=Boyle |first=K. V. | title=Neolithic wild game animals in Western Europe: The question of hunting |chapter=The Roe Deer: Conservation of a Native Species |editor-last=Serjeantson |editor-first=D. |editor2-last=Field |editor2-first=D. |publisher=Oxbow Books |year=2006 |location=Oxford |pages=10–23 |isbn=978-1-84217-214-8}}</ref>

===Behaviour===
In order to mitigate risk, roe deer remain within [[Refuge (ecology)|refuge]] habitats (such as forests) during the day. They are likelier to venture into more open habitats at night and during [[crepuscular]] periods when there is less ambient activity.<ref name=Martin2018/> It scrapes leaf litter off the ground to make a 'bed'.<ref name=Macdonald1993/>

When alarmed it will bark a sound much like a dog and flash out its white rump patch. Rump patches differ between the sexes, with the white rump patches heart-shaped on females and kidney-shaped on males. Males may also bark or make a low grunting noise. Does (the females) make a high-pitched "pheep" whine to attract males during the [[rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]] (breeding season) in July and August. Initially the female goes looking for a mate and commonly lures the buck back into her territory before mating.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} The roe deer is territorial, and while the territories of a male and a female might overlap, other roe deer of the same sex are excluded unless they are the doe's offspring of that year.<ref name=Macdonald1993/>

===Diet===
[[File:Roe deer track03.jpg|thumb|Roe deer tracks]]
It feeds mainly on grass, leaves, berries, and young shoots. It particularly likes very young, tender grass with a high moisture content, i.e., grass that has received rain the day before. Roe deer will generally not venture into a field that has or has had livestock in it.<ref name=Boyle2006/>

===Reproduction===
[[File:kid-jbk.jpg|thumb|left|Roe deer fawn, two to three weeks old]]
The [[Animal sexual behaviour#Polygamy|polygamous]] roe deer males clash over territory in early summer and mate in early autumn. During courtship, when the males chase the females, they often flatten the underbrush, leaving behind areas of the forest in the shape of a circle or figure eight called 'roe rings'. These tend to be {{Cvt|1-3|m|ft}} in diameter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clyde |first=Falls of |date=2020-07-09 |title=Roe deer shenanigans at the Falls of Clyde |url=https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2020/07/roe-deer-shenanigans-at-the-falls-of-clyde/ |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=Scottish Wildlife Trust |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 1956 it was speculated based on some field evidence that they choose where to form rings around plants with ergot mould, but this has not been substantiated further.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buxton |first=Anthony |date=May 1956 |title=Roe Deer Rings |journal=Oryx |language=en |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=203–204 |doi=10.1017/S0030605300038709 |s2cid=85180707 |issn=1365-3008|doi-access=free }}</ref> Males may also use their antlers to shovel around fallen foliage and soil as a way of attracting a mate. Roebucks enter rutting [[inappetence]] during the July and August breeding season. Females are [[Estrous cycle#Frequency|monoestrous]] and after [[delayed implantation]] usually give birth the following June, after a 10-month gestation period, typically to two spotted fawns of opposite sexes,<ref name="Kauffert_2025">{{cite journal |last1=Kauffert |first1=Johanna |last2=Ehrmantraut |first2=Christian |last3=Mikula |first3=Peter |last4=Tryjanowski |first4=Piotr |last5=Menzel |first5=Anette |last6=König |first6=Andreas |title=Matching the green wave: growing season length determines embryonic diapause in roe deer |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=292 |issue=2047 |article-number=20242903 |date=2025-05-21 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2024.2903 |pmid=40393484 |doi-access=free|pmc=12092121 }}</ref> weighing {{convert|0.8|-|2.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Portier |first1=C. |last2=Duncan |first2=P. |last3=Gaillard |first3=J. M. |last4=Guillon |first4=N. |last5=Sempéré |first5=A. J. |title=Growth of European roe deer: patterns and rates |journal=Acta Theriologica |date=2000 |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=87–94 |doi=10.4098/AT.arch.00-8 |url=https://rcin.org.pl/ibs/publication/29022}}</ref> The fawns remain hidden in long grass from predators; they are suckled by their mother several times a day for around three months. Young female roe deer can begin to reproduce when they are around six months old.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} During the mating season, a male roe deer may mount the same doe several times over a duration of several hours.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Linnell |first1=John D. C. |last2=Andersen |first2=Reidar |date=1998 |title=Timing and synchrony of birth in a hider species, the roe deer ''Capreolus capreolus'' |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256636982 |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=244 |issue=4 |pages=497–504 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1998.tb00055.x }}</ref>

===Population ecology===
A roe deer can live up to 20 years, but it usually does not reach such an age. A normal life span in the wild is seven to eight years,<ref name=Macdonald1993/> or ten years.<ref name=Andersen2000/>

The roe deer population shows [[irruptive growth]]. It is extremely fecund and can double its population every year;<ref name=Andersen2000>{{cite journal |title=Irruptive potential in roe deer: Density-dependent effects on body mass and fertility |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229194908 |last1=Andersen |first1=Reidar |last2=Linnell |first2=John D. C. |year=2000 |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=64 |issue=3 |pages=698–706 |doi=10.2307/3802739 |jstor=3802739 |access-date=17 November 2020}}</ref> it shows a retarded reaction to population density with females continuing to have a similar fecundity at high population densities.

Population structure is modified by available nutrition, where populations are irrupting there are few animals over six years old. Where populations are stagnant or moribund, there is huge fawn mortality and a large part of the population is over seven years old. Mortality is highest in the first weeks after birth due to predation, or sometimes farm machinery; or in the first winter due to starvation or disease, with up to 90% mortality.<ref name=Macdonald1993/>

===Community ecology===
It is a main prey of the Persian leopard (''[[Panthera pardus tulliana]]'') in the [[Alborz Mountains]] of Iran.<ref name=Ghoddousi2020/>

The [[nematode]] ''Spiculopteragia asymmetrica'' infects this deer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Youssefi |first1=Mohammad Reza |last2=Hoseini |first2=Seyed Hossein |last3=Mobedi |first3=Iraj |last4=Hosseini |first4=Seyed Mohammad |last5=Ekrami |first5=Behrang |date=2014 |title=''Spiculopteragia asymmetrica'' infection in ''Cervus elaphus'' from Iran |url= |journal=Veterinary Research Forum |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=77–79 |pmid=25568698 |pmc=4279657}}</ref>

Compared to the other large [[herbivore]]s and [[omnivore]]s in Iran, it is a poor disperser of plant seeds, despite consuming relatively more of them.<ref name=Karimi2020/>

==Uses==
The roe deer is a [[game animal]] of great economic value in Europe, providing large amounts of meat and generating millions of euros in sport hunting activity. In 1998, some 2,500,000 roe deer were shot in western Europe.<ref name=Andersen2000/> In Germany during the 1990s, 700,000 were taken per year.<ref name=Macdonald1993/> As this is insufficient to slow its population growth, the roe deer continues to increase in number.<ref name=Andersen2000/>

It is the main source of [[venison]] in Europe.<ref name=Macdonald1993/> The meat, like most game meat, is darker in colour than that of most farm-raised deer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Daszkiewicz |first1=Tomasz |last2=Kubiak |first2=Dorota |last3=Panfil |first3=Agata |date=18 October 2018 |title=The Effect of Long-Term Frozen Storage on the Quality of Meat (''Longissimus thoracis et Lumborum'') from Female Roe Deer (''Capreolus capreolus'' L.) |journal=Journal of Food Quality |volume=2018 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1155/2018/4691542 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Palaeontology==
Roe deer are thought to have evolved from a species in the Eurasian genus ''Procapreolus'', with some 10 species occurring from the [[Late Miocene]] to the [[Early Pleistocene]], which moved from the east to Central Europe over the millennia, where ''Procapreolus cusanus'' (also classified as ''Capreolus cusanus'') occurred.<ref name=Heckeberg2020/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Valli |first1=Andrea M. F. |date=1 February 2010 |title=Dispersion of the genus ''Procapreolus'' and the relationships between ''Procapreolus cusanus'' and the roe deer (''Capreolus'') |journal=Quaternary International |volume=212 |issue=2 |pages=80–85 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2008.11.002|bibcode=2010QuInt.212...80V }}</ref> It may not have evolved from ''C.&nbsp;cusanus'', however, because the two extant species split from each other 1.375 and 2.75&nbsp;Myr ago,<ref name=Petrosian2002>{{cite journal |last1=Petrosian |first1=V. G. |last2=Tokarskaia |first2=O. N. |last3=Danilkin |first3=A. A. |last4=Ryskov |first4=A. P. |date=June 2002 |title=[''Quantitative analysis of genetic parameters in populations of European (''Capreolus capreolus'' L.) and Siberian (''Capreolus pygargus'' Pall.) roe deer with RAPD markers''] |journal=Genetika |volume=38 |issue=6 |pages=812–819 |pmid=12138780 |language=ru}}</ref> and the western species first appeared in Europe 600 thousand years ago.<ref name=Sommer2008/>

As of 2008, over 3,000 fossil specimens of this species had been recovered from Europe, which affords a good set of data to elucidate the prehistoric distribution. The distribution of the European species has fluctuated often since entering Europe. During some periods of the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]], it was present in central Europe, but during the [[Last Glacial Maximum]] it retreated to [[Refugium (population biology)|refugia]] in the [[Iberian Peninsula]] (two refugia here), southern France, Italy (likely two), the [[Balkans]] and the [[Carpathians]]. When the last Ice Age ended, the species initially abruptly expanded north of the [[Alps]] to Germany during the [[Stadial|Greenland Interstadial]], 12.5–10.8 thousand years ago, but during the cooling of the [[Younger Dryas]], 10.8–10 thousand years ago, it appears to have disappeared again from this region. It reappeared 9.7–9.5 thousand years ago, reaching northern central Europe. The modern population in this area appears to have recolonised it from the Carpathians and/or further east, but not the Balkans or other refugia. This is opposite to the [[red deer]], which recolonised Europe from Iberia. There has been much admixture of these populations where they meet, also possibly due to human intervention in some cases.<ref name=Sommer2008/>

It is thought that during the [[Middle Ages]] the roe deer and Siberian roe deer were kept apart due to hunting pressure and an abundance of predators; the two species may have encountered each other in the period just prior, though during the [[Pleistocene]] they were also kept apart.<ref name=Hewison2001/>

==Conservation==
Populations are increasing throughout Europe;<ref name=iucn/><ref name=Macdonald1993/><ref name=Andersen2000/> it is considered a [[least-concern]] species by the [[International Union for the Conservation of Nature]].<ref name=iucn/>

==Culture==
In the Hebrew Bible [[Deuteronomy]] 14:5, the {{Lang|he|יַחְמ֑וּר}}, ''yahmur'', derived from 'to be red', is listed as the third species of animal that may be eaten. In most Bibles this word has usually been translated as 'roe deer', and it still means as much in [[Arabic]] ({{Lang|ar|أحمر}}, pronounced '''ahmar'') -it was still said to be a common species in the [[Mount Carmel]] area in the 19th century. The [[King James Bible]] translated the word as '[[fallow deer]]', and in other English Bible translations the word has been translated as a number of different species.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/14-5.htm |title=Deuteronomy 14:5 Parallel Hebrew Texts |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Bible Hub |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_kings/4-23.htm |title=1 Kings 4 23 Commentaries ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Bible Hub |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Easton |first=Matthew George |author-link=Matthew George Easton |date=1897 |title=Entry for Fallow-deer in the Illustrated Bible Dictionary |url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/fallow-deer/ |edition=3 |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Thomas Nelson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.biblehub.com/interlinear/deuteronomy/14.htm |title=Deuteronomy 14 Interlinear Bible |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Bible Hub |access-date=19 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/arabic-word-for-78988010b890ce6f4d2136481f392787ec6d6106.html |title=How to say red in Arabic |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2008 |website=WordHippo |publisher=Kat IP Pty Ltd |access-date=20 November 2020}}</ref> 

Bambi, the titular character of the book ''[[Bambi, A Life in the Woods]]'' and its sequel ''[[Bambi's Children]]'' was originally a roe deer. When the story was adapted to the animated film ''[[Bambi]]'' by [[Walt Disney Pictures]], the main character was changed to a [[white-tailed deer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bio.miami.edu/dana/dox/bambi.html |title=Bambi and That Other Guy |publisher=Bio.Miami.edu}}</ref>

[[Albino]] roe deer were exceedingly rare in history, and they were regarded as national treasures or sacred animals in [[history of China|ancient times in China]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/13/c_139053398.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601223154/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-05/13/c_139053398.htm|archive-date=June 1, 2020|work=Xinhua|title=Rare white roe deer spotted in NE China's Jilin|date=2020-05-13|access-date=2022-05-10}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Prior, Richard (1995).  ''The Roe Deer: Conservation of a Native Species''. Swan-Hill Press.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Capreolus capreolus|Roe deer}}
{{Wikispecies|Roe deer}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050829233301/http://www.roedeer.com/ Roe Deer Research Group]
* [http://naturdata.com/Capreolus-capreolus-6572.htm Roe Deer photos, distribution and information from Portugal]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjFxT7wqRA A Roe Deer path with tracks through a Scottish pine plantation]

{{Artiodactyla|R.1}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q122069}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Roe deer| ]]
[[Category:Arctic land animals]]
[[Category:Capreolini]]
[[Category:Fauna of Iran]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1758]]
[[Category:Mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Mammals of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of the Middle East]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]