Laughing Dove

Spilopelia senegalensis

Named for a call that sounds like gentle laughter. Colonized Australia, Israel, and the Maldives on its own schedule.

Population: 2,400,000–8,200,000 mature individuals (global, stable trend) — BirdLife/IUCN 2012 estimate, reaffirmed current
Habitat: Dry scrub, semi-desert, savanna, arable land, gardens, and human-modified/urban areas; associated with cultivation, trees (but not forests), and human habitation; occurs from sea level up to about 3,000 m elevation
Fun fact: The Laughing Dove gets its name from its distinctive bubbling, chuckling "croo-doo-doo-doo-doo" call, which sounds like soft human laughter.
Range: Extremely large native range (~64.4 million km²) across Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East through South and Central Asia (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan), present as resident, breeder, or passage migrant in over 100 countries; introduced and established in Western Australia (Perth, released from Perth Zoo — Wikipedia gives conflicting years, 1889 in body text vs 1898 in its lead, not independently resolved in this pass) and parts of Spain
Diet: Mainly fallen seeds and grains (especially grasses, sunflower, and maize/corn), supplemented with fruit, Aloe nectar, and small invertebrates such as ants, termites, beetles, flies, and occasional small snails
Size: 0.26 m
Wingspan: 0.425 m
Lifespan: 10 years

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