The spotted dove, 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴 (Scopoli, 1786), is a common bird species in Hong Kong. In fact you might often see their grey heads bobbing up and down on the streets; but not to be confused with pigeons🤔. They originate from Southern Asia but their range now expands further as the species has been introduced to several countries such as the USA and Australia, where populations are now established. How to recognize this species👀? It has a general pinkish-grey body, greyish-brown wings and large, white-spotted black collar on the hind neck and on both sides of the neck that you will not miss.
These birds are strictly monogamous👫, meaning that they will not search for new partners until their current partner passes away. If birds in general are well-known to take care of their progeny, doves and pigeons (but also flamingoes) have a specificity. You may know that many birds often regurgitate food, first stored into their crop to feed their young🐥. In dove and pigeon species, however, this food is enriched with proteins and fats that they produce and known as crop-milk🍼. Doves store their crop-milk in a pouch located in their oesophagus (the canal animals use to swallow food). When feeding their young, the babies would stick their beaks into the parents’ mouth to stimulate the release of crop-milk. This energy-rich food is not only fed to their offspring but also to females. During a ritual called courtship feeding, a male will feed regurgitated crop milk to a female in an attempt to seduce her. This shows to the female that the male is capable of providing good quality food for her and the future chicks. Note from the HKBM to the gentlemen reading this, ❌we discourage you to attempt such an approach on your next date❌ or you may end up alone quickly, or brought back to a nearby hospital🚨.
Back to our doves, did you know that crop-milk was found to be similar to mammalian milk, including human milk, in terms of some functions? Hundreds of million years ago, a group of common ancestors of birds and mammals split up and evolved independently. One group evolved into mammals and gained the ability to produce milk💪🏼, while only a few bird species including doves, pigeons and flamingos evolved a similar trait of producing milk (penguins as well but of a different anatomical origin). Despite some dissimilarities, both kinds of milk are high in protein and fat content and provide antibodies. Just like in mammals, crop milk helps build up the immune system and enrich the gut flora🧫 in the digestive tract of youngsters👶🏻. This represents an example of convergent evolution where remotely related animals evolved similar traits in response to similar needs in their environment.
Being highly adaptable, the spotted doves are not picky and make use of their surroundings to build their nests, often in places where we least expect them in an urban setting. Sometimes we would find them settling in flowerpots, unassuming gaps in our A/C units or even cable trays above our heads. Their minimalist nests often consist of a handful of twigs or even plastic waste, meaning that fallen eggs are not uncommon. Although they spend most of their time living in an artificial environment, they are unfortunately still not fully adapted. Flocks of spotted doves occasionally gather at airports and can be a danger to airplanes🛑. When disturbed, they fly into the air suddenly like a burst of feathers💥. Often, these incidents happen so quickly that pilots have no time to respond and eventually the birds get sucked into engines or damage the fuselage. In some regions, such as Lihue Airport in Hawaii, bird strikes involving spotted doves accounted for 8.6% out of a total of 526 incidents from 1990 to 1994. Fortunately, Hong Kong does not experience similar problems.
To hear more amazing stories like this one and discover the incredible organisms that surround us, come and visit the HKBM✨. Also, do not hesitate to share your reactions and pictures in the comment section below and through your likes😉!
Text: Audrey Wong
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