
Laughing Dove
Spilopelia senegalensis
Silhouette: Jun Mencius ยท PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderColumbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
- FamilyColumbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
- GenusSpilopelia (Laughing and Spotted Doves)
- SpeciesSpilopelia senegalensis (Laughing Dove)
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 ร gorge tachetรฉe du Sรฉnรฉgal 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...
Recent sightings of Laughing Dove in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Cities Where Found
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raipur | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | |
| 2 | Ouagadougou | ๐ง๐ซ Burkina Faso | |
| 3 | Doha | ๐ถ๐ฆ Qatar | |
| 4 | Abu Dhabi | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | |
| 5 | Amman | ๐ฏ๐ด Jordan | |
| 6 | Dubai | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | |
| 7 | Riyadh | ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabia | |
| 8 | Jerusalem | ๐ฎ๐ฑ Israel | |
| 9 | Maiduguri | ๐ณ๐ฌ Nigeria | |
| 10 | Cairo | ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt |
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| 2 | Zoo Pilsen | ๐จ๐ฟ Czechia | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | ๐บ๐ธ United States | |
| 4 | Al Ain Zoo | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | |
| 5 | Berlin Zoological Garden | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 6 | Wildlands | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | |
| 7 | Zoolรณgico Benito Juรกrez | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico | |
| 8 | Wilhelma | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 9 | Hanover Zoo | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | |
| 10 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | ๐ญ๐บ Hungary | |
| 11 | Bird Paradise | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| 12 | Rainforest Wild Asia | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | |
| 13 | Vogelpark Avifauna | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | |
| 14 | African Dawn Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 15 | Santillana Zoo | ๐ช๐ธ Spain | |
| 16 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | |
| 17 | Zoopark Nehvizdy | ๐จ๐ฟ Czechia | |
| 18 | Aquarium Berlin | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany |
Closest Relatives at Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Laughing Dove in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)?
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove sighting in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 47th most-seen of the 70 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Laughing Dove in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)?
December to February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Laughing Dove in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, against under 5% in March to November, the lowest months. Those are among Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)'s wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against almost none in July.
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 Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) the best place to see a Laughing Dove?
62nd of 67
Of the 67 parks where we can rate Laughing Dove sightings, Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) ranks 62nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 70%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 70%) and Keoladeo National Park (India, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Laughing Dove live in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife)?
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Laughing Dove that you can see in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Eurasian Collared-Dove (about 80%) and African Collared Dove (about 20%), 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 Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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 "โ". How it works.
