# Spotted dove (*Spilopelia chinensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/spotted-dove  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) is a bird in the family Columbidae, subfamily Columbinae, order Columbiformes. It is a small, terrestrial, sedentary bird of woodland with an adult body mass of 159 g and a geographic range of 7,372,000 km². It is a granivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level. Clutches hold 2 eggs, incubated for 14.5 days, and the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 139.8 g – 159 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 7.7 years |
| Diet | Granivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 9.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | woodland |
| Egg incubation | 14.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Columbiformes
- family: Columbidae
- genus: Spilopelia
- species: *Spilopelia chinensis* (Scopoli, 1786)

Synonyms: *Columba chinensis*, *Stigmatopelia chinensis*, *Streptopelia chinensis*, *Streptopelia chinensis*, *Turtur chinensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the spotted dove?

The spotted dove is a bird in the family Columbidae, order Columbiformes. Its size class is small.

### How heavy is a spotted dove?

An adult Spotted dove has a body mass of 159 g.

### What does the spotted dove eat?

The spotted dove is a granivore, feeding at the herbivore trophic level.

### How long does a spotted dove live?

Its lifespan is 7.7 years, with values up to 9.8 years reported.

### How many eggs does the spotted dove lay?

A spotted dove clutch holds 2 eggs, incubated for 14.5 days.

### Is the spotted dove endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### What habitat does the spotted dove live in?

The spotted dove lives in woodland, where it is terrestrial and sedentary.

### Who named the spotted dove?

The species name Spilopelia chinensis carries the authority (Scopoli, 1786).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spotted-dove