Laughing Dove

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

Very likely. About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove sighting in Jerusalem on a given day, based on 4,678 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there.

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

April and June–July. In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove in Jerusalem on a given day, against about 90% in May and August–March, the lowest months. Those are among Jerusalem's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 90 mm in January.

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 Jerusalem the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

8th of 116. Of the 116 cities where we can rate Laughing Dove sightings, Jerusalem ranks 8th at about 90%. 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 Jerusalem?

Same family: Columbidae. The closest relatives of the Laughing Dove that you can see in Jerusalem (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Rock Pigeon (about 90%) and European Turtle Dove (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 Jerusalem (4,678 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 ~90% · Very likely

at Jerusalem

4,678 Verified sightings at Jerusalem

25,522 In all 62 parks From 2019 to 2026

June 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 Jerusalem

Columba livia

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Streptopelia turtur

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Columba palumbus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Corvus cornix

Daily sighting probability >90% · Very likely

Pycnonotus xanthopygos

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Turdus merula

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Parus major

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Cinnyris osea

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Passer domesticus

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Psittacula krameri

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

Dendrocopos syriacus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Sylvia atricapilla

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

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

Very likely

About 90% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove sighting in Jerusalem on a given day, based on 4,678 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 192 birds we can rate there.

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

April and June–July

In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove in Jerusalem on a given day, against about 90% in May and August–March, the lowest months. Those are among Jerusalem's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 90 mm in January.

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 Jerusalem the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

8th of 116

Of the 116 cities where we can rate Laughing Dove sightings, Jerusalem ranks 8th at about 90%. 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 Jerusalem?

Same family: Columbidae

The closest relatives of the Laughing Dove that you can see in Jerusalem (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Rock Pigeon (about 90%) and European Turtle Dove (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 Jerusalem (4,678 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 Jerusalem

Laughing Dove

About the Laughing Dove

Sounds

Recent sightings of Laughing Dove in Jerusalem

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Jerusalem

Rock Pigeon

European Turtle Dove

Wood Pigeon

Hooded Crow

White-spectacled Bulbul

Eurasian Blackbird

Great Tit

Palestine Sunbird

House Sparrow

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Syrian Woodpecker

Blackcap

Before you go

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

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

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

Is Jerusalem the best place to see a Laughing Dove?

Which relatives of the Laughing Dove live in Jerusalem?

Where does the Laughing Dove sighting chance come from?