The white-speckled black patch on the neck-sides of Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis lends the species its English name and separates it from all other columbids. Photo: chinensis, Baxianshan (24.190983, 121.015065), Taiwan, elev. 950 m (3,110 ft.), March. (Craig Brelsford)Unusual record of Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis chinensis in Qilian County (38.180096, 100.227415), Qinghai, China, August. Also unusual is the elevation here: 2760 m (9,070 ft.). Spotted Dove occurs mainly in lowlands, but it is highly commensal of man and can be found in cities and villages at higher elevations. In China, Spotted Dove occurs mainly east of the Heihe-Tengchong line north to the Bohai Gulf. The species is among the most common birds of Shanghai, equally at home in suburban areas and the urban core. (Craig Brelsford)When disturbed, Spotted Dove ‘flies close to the ground with a distinctive slow wingbeat’ (MacKinnon 156). The species spends much time on the ground. Shanghai Botanical Gardens (31.146501, 121.435674), December. (Craig Brelsford)
