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Laughing Dove Recorded in Seychelles for the First Time

Two laughing doves perched on a fence at Jahra reserve in Kuwait
Conservation · Population & status

A laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) photographed at Providence Atoll has become the first recorded individual of the species in Seychelles. The Seychelles Bird Records Committee reported the record on 27 February 2026 after receiving photographs from fly-fishing guide Cam Musgrave.

The dove landed on Musgrave’s skiff during a fishing trip at Providence Atoll. Because he did not recognise the bird, photographs were sent to the records committee, whose members identified it as a laughing dove.

The committee states that this is the first record of the species for Seychelles. Laughing doves have a broad resident range extending from parts of North Africa across much of sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and eastwards through South Asia, but Seychelles lies outside the species’ normal range.

The individual at Providence appeared exhausted and dehydrated. Musgrave reported that it drank a large amount of water after arriving on the boat. The bird remained through the night but was gone by the following day.

The observation documents a vagrant laughing dove at Providence Atoll and adds the species to the Seychelles bird list. The record does not indicate that the species has established a population in the country.

Sources and image credit

  1. Skerrett, A. (2026, February 27). It really is a laughing matter! Seychelles Bird Records Committee.Primary national bird-records committee report published 27 February 2026. Cam Musgrave photographed a laughing dove that landed on his skiff at Providence Atoll; SBRC identified it as the first record of the species for Seychelles. The bird appeared exhausted and dehydrated, drank a large amount of water and was gone after the night.

Image: Di7ane — two wild laughing doves at Jahra reserve, Kuwait, photographed 10 June 2026; Wikimedia Commons; high-quality representative image from the wider regional range, not the Seychelles individual · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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