Zebra Dove: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © John Clough · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Geopelia striata
- Family
- Pigeons and Doves
- Size
- About 21 cm
- Habitat
- Gardens, farmland, towns and dry scrub
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania
The key marks
Small, slim, pale dove with fine black-and-white barring on the neck, breast and wings, a bare blue-grey patch around the eye and a long tail. Spotted Dove is bigger, with a black neck patch covered in white spots.
Voice
Soft, rhythmic cooing in short repeated phrases.
Good to know
Popular in Southeast Asia as a cage songbird, with singing contests held for the best cooing.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Spotted Dove. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in gardens, farmland, towns and dry scrub. It is especially common in Thailand and Malaysia. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.