The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is an endangered IUCN Red List species impacted by agricultural intensification. Although its population has declined, there is limited knowledge of its habitat preferences in Eastern European countries. To address this gap, we conducted a study in the Czech Republic to investigate the environmental factors that affect the distribution of turtle doves. We used turtle dove presence data from countrywide monitoring efforts, as well as environmental variable datasets describing all natural and human-modified ecosystems making up the land cover of the country. We analysed the general effects of land cover on turtle dove distribution using generalised mixed-effects models. We performed a compositional analysis of habitat use to investigate detailed habitat preferences. A higher proportion of urban and wetland land cover was associated with a significant decrease in turtle dove presence. In contrast, a higher proportion of agricultural and forest land cover was associated with the increased presence of turtle doves. In addition, the compositional analysis revealed significant differences between the suitability of individual habitat types within each land cover type. For example, turtle doves preferred coniferous tree plantations and semi-natural beech and riparian forests, but oak forests, broadleaf, and mixed tree plantations were strongly avoided. In agricultural areas, turtle doves strongly preferred semi-natural grasslands and vineyards but avoided intensive agriculture. Overall, our study provides important insights into the habitat preferences of the endangered turtle dove in the Czech Republic, which can better inform conservation efforts for the species.