A dovecote is a popular construction for raising doves. In addition, the dove’s excrement produced by these animals was used to fertilise the farm.

As far as their structure is concerned, there are square, round or even octagonal dovecotes. In the upper part under the roof, there are hollows in the walls which are used by the doves to get in and out. Inside, there are some small niches in the walls where, normally, there are the nests and, in the centre of the structure; they have a bowl in which food is deposited. 

Among the numerous dovecotes that are found in Barreiros, most of them have a square plan; the dovecote of the Indiano House of Alvariño in Santiago de Reinante stands out by its brightness due to its octagonal plan.