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Laughing DoveAlternate name(s): "Palm Dove", "Senegal Dove", "Little Brown Dove" Size: 23-26 cm; wing span 40-45 cm Weight: 100 g (average) |
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Similar species |
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Photos |
Race "cambayensis"(?)
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Pair of Laughing Doves; male on the right, displaying to the
female on the left - note the male's more prominent gorget
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]
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FEMALE |
Close-up frontal view of a female Laughing Dove
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]
Lateral view of a (probably female) Laughing Dove
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, March 2010]
Dorsal view of a Laughing Dove
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
Laughing Dove snoozing on a lattice screen
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
Here a Laughing Dove going for a bath
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
First a bit of a wing stretch...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
... hmmm, spectators? Nosy House Sparrow! Oh, well...
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
Never mind! Laughing Dove in the water
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
Laughing Dove sleeping in a tree
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Mar - Aug(?) | Eggs: 2 | Incubation period: 13 - 15 days | Fledging age: 14 - 16 days |
The length of the breeding season depends on geographic latitude and can start in February in southern parts of the range. Several broods can be raised in a particularly successful season.
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Nest |
Type: Rudimentary basket | Material: Twigs | Height above ground: 1.5 - 5(?) m |
The photos below show a nest, with eggs, found in mid May 2010, when conditions near Muscat were getting hot (40 C) and dry. Trees in wadis that had blossomed earlier were clearly losing their foliage and were drying; difficult conditions to raise chicks, because the nest was relatively easy to spot.
The usual basic affair called a dove's nest, here a Laughing Dove's,
found inside a prickly acacia tree
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]
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Eggs |
Size: 24 x 18 mm | Colour: White | Shape: Oval |
Closer look at the two white eggs in the Laughing Dove's nest shown above
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, May 2010]
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Behaviour |
Male Laughing Dove, right, trying to impress a female, left,
by displaying to her and cooing
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]
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Food, Diet |
As all pigeons and doves, Laughing Doves are strictly vegetarian. To the best of our knowledge they feed exclusively on seeds. Although in part living in (semi-)arid environments, Laughing Doves are highly dependent on water.
Laughing Dove approaching a pond for a drink
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]
Lateral view of a Laughing Dove drinking
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, September 2009]