Les daines, accompagnées de leur progéniture, vivent en hardes dirigées par une matriarche, pouvant regrouper quelques dizaines d’individus en milieu ouvert et seulement quelques têtes en milieu forestier. En automne, époque à laquelle les bois, véritables atouts de séduction, sont les plus développés, les mâles se regroupent dans des « arènes » proches les unes des autres. Les combats entre eux ne sont pas rares quand ils tentent, par leur brame guttural, d’attirer les femelles pour s’accoupler. Peu territorial, le daim se déplace beaucoup en quête de nourriture mais reviendra d’année en année sur le même site de reproduction.Does, accompanied by their offspring, live in herds led by a matriarch, which can number several dozen individuals in open areas and only a few in wooded areas. In autumn, when their antlers, a key asset in attracting mates, are at their most developed, the males gather in "arenas" close to each other. Fighting between them is not uncommon as they attempt to attract females to mate with their guttural bellowing. Not particularly territorial, fallow deer travel widely in search of food but return to the same breeding site year after year.

A few days before giving birth, the females leave the herd. The newborn remains hidden in the grass, licked regularly by its mother. The young from the previous year, which is kept apart for a few weeks during the birth, then rejoins its mother and her fawn.

The male has large, distinctive palmate antlers that can weigh up to 7 kg. Its reddish-brown coat is speckled and darkens in winter, becoming more uniform and grey. Some individuals are white or black. To escape danger, fallow deer can run at speeds of up to 50 km/h and jump over 1.70 m.

Their hearing and sense of smell are highly developed. However, their night vision is not very good, so unlike deer, fallow deer are much more active during the day.r.

Native to the eastern Mediterranean basin, fallow deer had virtually disappeared from Europe after the last ice age 10,000 years ago. They were reintroduced during Antiquity, mainly for hunting, from a few remaining populations in Asia Minor.

The wild populations found in European forests originate from escaped animals or deliberate releases.