Spotted Dove
Spotted Dove
Spotted Dove
Taxonomy
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
The spotted dove was formally described in 1786 by the Austrian
naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli and given the binomial Scientific classification
name Columba chinensis.[2] This species was formerly included Domain: Eukaryota
in the genus Streptopelia.[3] A molecular phylogenetic study
published in 2001 found the genus was paraphyletic with respect Kingdom: Animalia
to Columba.[4] To create monophyletic genera the spotted dove Phylum: Chordata
as well as the closely related laughing dove were moved to the
resurrected genus Spilopelia that had been introduced by the Class: Aves
Swedish zoologist Carl Sundevall in 1873. Sundevall had Order: Columbiformes
designated Columba tigrina as the type species, a taxon that is
now considered a subspecies of the spotted dove.[5][6] Family: Columbidae
Genus: Spilopelia
Several subspecies have been proposed for the plumage and size
variation seen in different geographic populations. The nominate Species: S. chinensis
form is from China (Canton), which is also the origin of the
Binomial name
introduced population in Hawaii. Subspecies formosa from
Taiwan has been considered as doubtful and indistinguishable Spilopelia chinensis
from the nominate population. The population in India suratensis (Scopoli, 1786)
(type locality Surat) and ceylonensis from Sri Lanka have fine
rufous or buff spots on the back. There is a size reduction trend Subspecies
with specimens from southern India being smaller, and
ceylonensis may merely be a part of this cline. The lesser and
median wing-coverts are also spotted at the tip in buff.[7] This
spotting is lacking on populations further north and east of India, See text
such as tigrina, which also differ greatly in vocalizations from
the Indian forms. The population from Hainan Island is placed in Synonyms
hainana. Others like vacillans (=chinensis) and forresti (=
tigrina) and edwardi (from Chabua = suratensis) have been Streptopelia chinensis
considered invalid.[8][9]
Stigmatopelia chinensis
Five subspecies are recognised:[6] Turtur suratensis
Spilopelia chinensis suratensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) –
Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan
Spilopelia chinensis ceylonensis (Reichenbach, 1851) – Sri Lanka (has shorter wings than
suratensis[10])
Spilopelia chinensis tigrina (Temminck, 1809) – Bangladesh and northeast India through
Indochina to Philippines and the Sunda Islands
Spilopelia chinensis chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) – northeast Myanmar to central and east
China, Taiwan
Spilopelia chinensis hainana (Hartert, 1910) – Hainan (off southeast China)
The subspecies S. c. suratensis and S. c. ceylonensis differ significantly from the other subspecies in both
plumage and vocalization.[11] This has led some ornithologists to treat S. c. suratensis as a separate species,
the western spotted dove.[12]
S. c. ceylonensis S. c. chinensis
Near Galle, Sri Lanka Zhengzhou, China
S. c. tigrina
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Description
The ground colour of this long and slim dove is rosy buff below Measurements
shading into grey on the head and belly. There is a half collar on Nominate (Chinese
the back and sides of the neck made of black feathers that bifurcate
population)[13]
and have white spots at the two tips. The median coverts have
brown feathers tipped with rufous spots in the Indian and Sri Length 300–340 mm (11.8–
Lankan subspecies which are divided at the tip by a widening grey 13.4 in)
shaft streak.[10][7]
295–330 mm (11.6–
The wing feathers are dark brown with grey edges. The centre of 13.0 in)
the abdomen and vent are white. The outer tail feathers are tipped Culmen 15.5–19 mm (0.6–
in white and become visible when the bird takes off. Sexes are 0.7 in)
similar, but juveniles are duller than adults and do not acquire the
neck spots until they are mature. The length ranges from 28 to 32 15.5–18 mm (0.6–
centimetres (11.2 to 12.8 inches).[7][15][16] 0.7 in)
Wing 154–163 mm (6.1–
Abnormal plumages such as leucism can sometimes occur in the 6.4 in)
wild.[17]
148–160 mm (5.8–
6.3 in)
Tail 155–165 mm (6.1–
6.5 in)
137–160 mm (5.4–
6.3 in)
Tarsus 23–25 mm (0.9–
1.0 in)
21–24 mm (0.8–
0.9 in)
Weight 162–200 g (5.7–
7.1 oz)
External links
Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the spotted dove (https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Spilo
pelia-chinensis)
Photographs and other media on the Internet Bird Collection (http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/
spotted-dove-streptopelia-chinensis)
Pigeon taxonomy (http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/pigeons.html)
Spotted Dove Photos (Dark Mutation) (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~carlo/suburbia-imag
es-p.html)