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Laughing Dove

(Streptopelia senegalensis)
Alternative name: "Palm Dove"
Size: 26 cm

Sightings

Laughing Doves are common throughout Oman; seen by us on the campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, where they are abundant.

Photos

Close-up frontal view of a Laughing Dove

Here the same bird as above, with its partner

Lateral view of a Laughing Dove

Laughing Dove seen from behind

Here a bird snoozing on a lattice screen

Laughing Dove approaching a pond for a drink

Lateral view of a Laughing Dove drinking

Here a Laughing Dove going for a bath

First a bit of a wing stretch...

... hmmm, spectators? Nosy House Sparrow! Oh, well...

Never mind!

Here a male trying to impress a female bird

Laughing Dove sleeping in a tree

Nest

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 found inside a prickly acacia tree

Eggs

Closer look at the two white eggs in the nest shown above

Food

As all pigeons and doves, Laughing Doves are strictly vegetarian. To the best of our knowledge they feed exclusively on seeds.

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.