The spotted dove is a small bird.
It has spots on its neck. It lives in gardens and trees.
It eats seeds from the ground. These birds are very pretty. Can you spot one in a park?
The spotted dove is a small bird.
It has a long tail. It has black feathers on its neck with white spots.
These birds live in gardens and woods. They like to stay on the ground. They look for seeds and grain to eat. They also eat some bugs.
Both parents help build a nest of twigs. They lay two white eggs in the nest. The eggs hatch in about 13 days. These birds are very busy!
The spotted dove is a small pigeon with a long tail.
It has a rosy brown color. A black patch on its neck has white spots.
These birds live in many places. They like forests, gardens, and cities. They often stay on the ground to find food. They eat seeds, grain, and fruit. Sometimes they eat insects like termites.
Both parents work together to raise babies. They build a flimsy nest using twigs. The nest might be in low plants or on buildings. The mother and father lay two white eggs. These eggs hatch in about 13 days. The young birds leave the nest after two weeks.
Spotted doves can fly in a quick way. They may take off with a loud wing clap. This is called a display flight. These birds live in many parts of the world. They are found in Asia, Hawaii, and Australia. They can even live in New Zealand. Some groups of these birds are quite different. For example, birds in India make different sounds than birds in China.
The spotted dove is a small, long-tailed pigeon.
It is a common bird in many parts of Asia. These birds can also be found in places far from home. They live in gardens, light forests, and even busy cities. People often see them in parks or on farms. They are very good at living near humans. This makes them a well-known sight in many urban areas.
These doves spend much of their time on the ground. They forage for seeds, grain, and fallen fruit. Sometimes they even eat insects like winged termites.
When they fly, they use a quick, fluttering motion. They might take off with a loud clap of their wings. This is called a display flight. During this flight, they glide down with their tails spread out. Both parents help to raise the young birds. They build a flimsy nest of twigs in low plants or on buildings. Two white eggs are laid in the nest. The eggs hatch in about 13 days, and the babies leave the nest after two weeks.
Scientists have studied these birds for a long time. An Austrian naturalist named Giovanni Antonio Scopoli described the bird in 1786. He gave it the name *Columba chinensis*. He used an account from a French naturalist named Pierre Sonnerat. Later, a Swedish zoologist named Carl Sundevall introduced the name *Spilopelia* in 1873. This name was brought back to group these doves together. In 2001, a study showed how these birds are related to other pigeons. This helped scientists understand their true family tree.
There are five main groups, or subspecies, of spotted doves.
The *chinensis* group lives from Myanmar to central China. The *suratensis* group lives in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The *ceylonensis* group is found in Sri Lanka. The *tigrina* group lives in places like the Philippines and the Sunda Islands. Finally, the *hainana* group lives on Hainan Island. These groups can look different. For example, birds in India have different spots than birds in the east. They also make different sounds.
Spotted doves are quite adaptable to different homes. In Hawaii, they breed all year long. In southern Australia, they mostly breed from September to January. They have even moved to places like New Zealand and California. In Australia, they were introduced to Melbourne in the 1860s. They are now common in many cities and towns there. Because they fly up quickly when startled, they can sometimes hit airplanes. This makes them a hazard at airfields. It is amazing how one small bird can live in so many different places.
The spotted dove, also known as the eastern spotted dove, is a small and long-tailed pigeon.
It is a common resident across its native range in the Indian subcontinent and East and Southeast Asia. This bird is highly adaptable and can live in light forests, gardens, farmland, and scrub. It has even become a successful urban species in many cities. Because they can live near humans, they have established feral populations in many parts of the world. This includes places like Hawaii, California, Australia, and New Zealand.
A spotted dove has a very specific look. Its ground color is a rosy buff, which fades into grey on the belly and head. The most famous feature is a black collar patch on the back and sides of the neck. This patch is made of feathers that split at the ends and have white spots.
The bird is long and slim, measuring between 28 and 32 centimeters in length. The wing feathers are dark brown with grey edges, and the outer tail feathers have white tips. These white tips become visible when the bird takes off. While males and females look similar, juveniles are duller and lack the neck spots until they mature.
These birds spend most of their time foraging on the ground. They search for grass seeds, grains, and fallen fruits. They will also occasionally eat insects, such as winged termites. When they are disturbed, they use an explosive flutter to fly from the ground. They may also perform a display flight. This involves taking off at a steep angle with a loud clapping of the wings. After the clap, they glide down slowly with their tails spread out.
This behavior is part of their complex social and courtship rituals.
Reproduction for the spotted dove involves both parents working together. They build a flimsy cup-shaped nest using twigs. These nests are often placed in low vegetation, but they can also be found on buildings. The female lays two whitish eggs in the nest. These eggs typically hatch after about 13 days. The young birds stay in the nest for a fortnight, or 14 days, before they fledge.
In warm regions, the breeding season is spread out, but in temperate areas, it usually happens in the summer. In Hawaii, these doves are so successful that they breed all year round.
The history of naming this bird involves several different scientists. The Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli formally described the species in 1786. He originally named it *Columba chinensis*. He based his work on accounts by the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat. For a long time, the dove was included in the genus *Streptopelia*. However, a molecular phylogenetic study in 2001 changed how scientists view its family tree. This study showed the genus was paraphyletic, meaning it did not include all descendants of a common ancestor. To fix this, the spotted dove was moved to the genus *Spilopelia*. This genus was originally introduced by the Swedish zoologist Carl Sundevall in 1873.
There are five recognized subspecies of the spotted dove that show variation in size and plumage. The nominate form, *Spilopelia chinensis chinensis*, lives from northeast Myanmar to central and east China. The *suratensis* subspecies lives in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The *ceylonensis* subspecies is found in Sri Lanka and has shorter wings than the *suratensis* group. The *tigrina* subspecies lives in Bangladesh, northeast India, the Philippines, and the Sunda Islands. Finally, the *hainana* subspecies is found on Hainan Island.
Some of these groups, like the Indian subspecies, have different vocalizations than those in the east.
The spotted dove is known for its distinct vocalizations. They make a soft cooing sound that sounds like "Krookruk-krukroo... kroo kroo kroo." The number of sounds at the end varies depending on the population. For example, the Indian populations have a different number of terminal sounds than the *tigrina* or *chinensis* populations. These sounds are important for communication and courtship. In addition to their sounds, their physical presence can impact other species. In the Philippines, they may outcompete the *Streptopelia dusumieri* for resources.
While these birds are beautiful, they can sometimes cause problems in human environments. Because they fly up very quickly when startled, they can be a hazard at airfields. They may collide with aircraft, which can cause damage to the planes. This makes them a known concern for airport safety. Despite this, they remain a common and successful part of urban wildlife in many countries. Their ability to spread to new lands shows how resilient the species is.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (4)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.