Laughing Dove

Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a small pigeon native to Africa that are best known for their coo-ing that can be likened to human laughter. Their vocalizations are often repeated five to eight times with a simple coo-ku-RU-kuru-koo which is surprisingly distinguishable from other doves in Africa. They have the same characteristic body shape as other doves, as well as gray beaks and pink legs and feet. They display black and chestnut triangular dappling on either side of their chests directly under their necks. The underbelly is a cream color and the primaries are a slate gray. The rest of the body plumage appears to be brown with a slight pink tone. This species has very large, black eyes that are surrounded by a small ring of featherless, tan-pink skin. They have a long tail that has white outer feathers that are most readily seen in flight. Females have more muted plumage than the males and juveniles lack the black and chestnut dappling.