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Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)

The Laughing Dove is an introduced species that can use Australian towns, farms and other open, settled areas. Where it becomes established or abundant, it may feed on stored or spilled grain and add pressure around food and habitat used by native birds.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, bird.

Native to: Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

Established in: WA.

Other names: Senegal Dove, Laughing Turtle-dove, Palm Dove.

Best time to act: Survey around dawn, when calling and feeding birds are easier to detect, and act promptly once the identification and local control requirements are confirmed.

Identification

  • A small, slender dove, about 25 cm long, with sandy-brown to pinkish-buff plumage.
  • Look for the distinctive black-and-white checked patch on the sides of the neck.
  • The long tail has pale outer feathers, and the legs are pinkish.
  • Its call is a repeated, soft cooing phrase with a laughing quality.
  • Look-alike: The Spotted Dove is larger and has a black neck patch covered in white spots rather than the Laughing Dove’s fine black-and-white checks.
  • Look-alike: The Peaceful Dove is smaller and more finely scaled on the neck, with a barred rump.

Where it lives

In Australia it may be found in settled and open areas such as gardens, parks, farmland and places where seed or grain is available.

Why it matters

  • It can consume grain, seed and food scraps, including spilled or accessible feed around farms and settlements.
  • Where it becomes abundant, it may compete with native seed-eating birds for food and feeding sites.
  • Droppings can foul surfaces and contaminate food or feed around roosting and feeding areas.

How it spreads

  • Introduced populations may originate from escaped or deliberately released captive birds.
  • Birds can move between nearby feeding, roosting and nesting sites, while food scraps and spilled grain can attract them to new places.

Control methods

  • First confirm the identification and assess where the birds are feeding, roosting and nesting.
  • Reduce attractants by securing stored feed and rubbish, cleaning up spilled grain and avoiding deliberate feeding.
  • Use suitable exclusion measures, such as maintaining building screens or crop netting; have nests or birds removed only by methods permitted by local rules.
  • Check with the state or territory biosecurity or wildlife authority before trapping or other control, and report a suspected new population where relevant.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Do not transport live birds, eggs or nest material between sites, and clean equipment if it has been in contact with them.
  • Keep feed and seed contained and clean up spills so vehicles and machinery do not carry seed that may attract birds to another site.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Not listed. Not found in the Western Australian Organism List. Check with DPIRD before moving or keeping it.
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Prohibited entrant. Wildlife that is not native to the NT is a prohibited entrant, so you need an NT permit to bring it in or keep it. Report any wild sighting to the NT Government.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources