Stigmatopelia senegalensis.
This small dove shows a liking for towns and villages and can therefore claim to be the best known of the pigeon family
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Laughing Dove Stigmatopelia senegalensis. This small dove shows a liking for towns and villages and can therefore claim to be the best known of the pigeon family |
| Recognition: Medium size. The wings have margins of blue-grey, the rest of the upperparts and breast a purplish-brown but the belly white.The outer tail feathers mainly white, showing clearly in flight. At the base of the throat there is a 'bib" of black-edged feathers. |
| Distribution: Occurs throughout Africa south of Sahara, but in forest country occurs only in clearings. |
| Habits: Usually two or more together. A very tame species, feeding on the ground in compounds, town streets, farms and on cassava grinding rocks. It seems to be dependent on man's activities for its food. It seldom flies far and on rising from the ground the wings are clapped together noisily. Nests have been found in every month, but the early rains seems the most active time. |
| Call: A monotonously repeated "oo-too-TOO-too. |
