Laughing Dove

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

Likely. About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove sighting in Bujumbura on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 46 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

November. In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura on a given day, against about 30% in February, the lowest month. That is one of Bujumbura's wettest months, with about 340 mm of rain against 15 mm in July. January, March–May and July–August have too few records to rate.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Laughing Dove?

Between 7 and 10 am. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laughing Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Bujumbura the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

55th of 116. Of the 116 cities where we can rate Laughing Dove sightings, Bujumbura ranks 55th at about 60%. The best odds are in Raipur (India, over 90%), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, over 90%) and Doha (Qatar, over 90%).

Q: Which relatives of the Laughing Dove live in Bujumbura?

Same family: Columbidae. The closest relatives of the Laughing Dove that you can see in Bujumbura (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Red-eyed Dove (about 10%) and Speckled Pigeon (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Q: Where does the Laughing Dove sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Laughing Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Bujumbura (40 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Spilopelia senegalensis

Silhouette: Jun Mencius · PhyloPic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderColumbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
FamilyColumbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
GenusSpilopelia (Laughing and Spotted Doves)
SpeciesSpilopelia senegalensis (Laughing Dove)

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

at Bujumbura

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

40 Verified sightings at Bujumbura

25,522 In all 62 parks From 2019 to 2026

November Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Challenge African City Birds AfricaEasy

About the Laughing Dove

The laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Australia where it has established itself in the wild after being released from Perth Zoo in 1898. This small long-tailed dove is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground. It is closely related to the spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) which is distinguished by a white and black chequered necklace. Other names include laughing turtle dove, palm dove and Senegal dove while in Asia the name little brown dove is often used.

In 1760 the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the laughing dove in his six volume Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Senegal. He used the French name La tourterelle à gorge tachetée du Sénégal and the Latin Tutur gutture maculato senegalensis. Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:26

Senegal · 2026

Dawn song0:14

Cyprus · 2024

Call0:37

South Africa · 2022

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 18 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	~70%
2	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~70%
3	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	~70%
4	Meru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~60%
5	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~60%
6	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~60%
7	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	~50%
8	Rottnest Island	🇦🇺 Australia	~50%
9	Waterberg Plateau Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~50%
10	Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~50%
11	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~50%
12	Etosha National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~50%
13	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~50%
14	Ranthambore National Park	🇮🇳 India	~50%
15	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~50%
16	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~40%
17	Namib-Naukluft National Park	🇳🇦 Namibia	~40%
18	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~40%
19	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~40%
20	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~40%
21	Satpura National Park	🇮🇳 India	~40%
22	Gir National Park	🇮🇳 India	~40%
23	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~40%
24	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~30%
25	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	~30%
26	Table Mountain National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
27	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~30%
28	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~30%
29	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~30%
30	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~30%
31	Lower Zambezi National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~30%
32	Bandhavgarh National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
33	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	~20%
34	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
35	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	~20%
36	uMkhuze Game Reserve	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
37	Bandipur National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
38	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
39	West Coast National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
40	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~20%
41	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~20%
42	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
43	Garden Route National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~20%
44	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	~20%
45	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	~20%
46	Mudumalai National Park	🇮🇳 India	~20%
47	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	~10%
48	De Hoop Nature Reserve	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
49	Kidepo Valley National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
50	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
51	Liwonde National Park	🇲🇼 Malawi	~10%
52	Nagarhole National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
53	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~10%
54	Kanha National Park	🇮🇳 India	~10%
55	Kafue National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	~10%
56	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
57	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	~10%
58	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
59	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
60	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
61	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
62	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Raipur	🇮🇳 India	>90%
2	Ouagadougou	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	>90%
3	Doha	🇶🇦 Qatar	>90%
4	Abu Dhabi	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	>90%
5	Amman	🇯🇴 Jordan	>90%
6	Dubai	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	>90%
7	Riyadh	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	~90%
8	Jerusalem	🇮🇱 Israel	~90%
9	Maiduguri	🇳🇬 Nigeria	~90%
10	Cairo	🇪🇬 Egypt	~90%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	Zoo Pilsen	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
3	San Diego Zoo Safari Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Al Ain Zoo	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	In captivity
5	Berlin Zoological Garden	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
6	Wildlands	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
7	Zoológico Benito Juárez	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
8	Wilhelma	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
9	Hanover Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
10	Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden	🇭🇺 Hungary	In captivity
11	Bird Paradise	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
12	Rainforest Wild Asia	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
13	Vogelpark Avifauna	🇳🇱 Netherlands	In captivity
14	African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary	🇿🇦 South Africa	In captivity
15	Santillana Zoo	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
16	World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	In captivity
17	Zoopark Nehvizdy	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
18	Aquarium Berlin	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity

Show all 18 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Bujumbura

Streptopelia semitorquata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Columba guinea

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Corvus albus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Colius striatus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Milvus migrans

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Pycnonotus barbatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Turdus pelios

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Cypsiurus parvus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Laniarius major

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Passer griseus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Halcyon senegalensis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove sighting in Bujumbura on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 46 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

November

In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura on a given day, against about 30% in February, the lowest month. That is one of Bujumbura's wettest months, with about 340 mm of rain against 15 mm in July. January, March–May and July–August have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Laughing Dove?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Laughing Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Bujumbura the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

55th of 116

Of the 116 cities where we can rate Laughing Dove sightings, Bujumbura ranks 55th at about 60%. The best odds are in Raipur (India, over 90%), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, over 90%) and Doha (Qatar, over 90%).

Which relatives of the Laughing Dove live in Bujumbura?

Same family: Columbidae

The closest relatives of the Laughing Dove that you can see in Bujumbura (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Red-eyed Dove (about 10%) and Speckled Pigeon (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Laughing Dove sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Laughing Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Bujumbura (40 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Bujumbura

Laughing Dove

About the Laughing Dove

Sounds

Recent sightings of Laughing Dove in Bujumbura

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Bujumbura

Red-eyed Dove

Speckled Pigeon

Pied Crow

Speckled Mousebird

Black Kite

Common Bulbul

African Thrush

African Palm-Swift

White-browed Robin-Chat

Tropical Boubou

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

Woodland Kingfisher

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

When is the best time to see a Laughing Dove in Bujumbura?

What time of day is best to see a Laughing Dove?

Is Bujumbura the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

Which relatives of the Laughing Dove live in Bujumbura?

Where does the Laughing Dove sighting chance come from?