Laughing Dove

The laughing dove is a small, slim, long-tailed pigeon, typically about 25 cm long, pinkish brown underneath with a lilac-tinged head and neck. It is closely related to the spotted dove, which has a white and black chequered necklace, and young birds lack the chequered neck markings. Other names include palm dove and Senegal dove, and in Asia little brown dove. The call is a low, rolling croo-doo-doo-doo-doo (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found in dry scrub and semi-desert, where pairs are often seen feeding on the ground. It is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, and in Western Australia, where it established itself after release from Perth Zoo in 1898. Two eggs are laid a day apart, both parents build the nest, incubate and feed the young, and the young fledge after about 14–16 days. Birds ringed in Gujarat have been recovered 200 km north in Pakistan. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, with a Very Large range of about 2 million km² and an inconclusive long-term trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).