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Progressive Greying Recorded in a Laughing Dove in Asia for the First Time

Wild laughing dove perched on a branch in Maharashtra, India
Research · Anatomy & morphology

A laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) with unusual white feathers in Karnataka has been identified as the first photographic record of progressive greying in the species from India and Asia. The adult bird was photographed on 5 June 2025 in agricultural fields in Raichur District, Kalyana Karnataka.

The white feathers were concentrated on the head and scapular (shoulder) region and stood out clearly from the species’ normal plumage. The authors identified the condition as progressive greying, a colour aberration in which melanin-producing cells are gradually lost. White feathers can therefore appear later in life and increase across successive moults. Hein van Grouw of the Natural History Museum in Tring assisted with confirming the type of colour aberration.

A laughing dove with progressive greying had previously been documented in Nigeria in 2023. The Karnataka observation extends the known record to India and represents the first photographic report for the species from Asia.

The study did not determine what caused the condition in this individual. The authors note that unusual plumage can potentially affect factors such as predation risk or mating success, and argue that photographic records can help build a clearer picture of how colour aberrations occur in wild birds.

Sources and image credit

  1. Hirikara & Mulage (2026), National Academy Science Letters — First Photographic Record of Progressive Greying in Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis Linnaeus 1766 from Raichur District, Karnataka, IndiaPrimary peer-reviewed short communication, published and version of record 21 August 2026. Documents an adult laughing dove photographed on 5 June 2025 in Raichur District with localised white feathering on the head and scapular region. The authors identify the condition as progressive greying and report it as the first photographic record for the species from India and Asia; Hein van Grouw assisted in confirming the colour-aberration type.

Image: Tisha Mukherjee — wild, normally coloured laughing dove in Bhigwan, Maharashtra, India, photographed 13 January 2026. Representative image; not the progressively greyed study bird. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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