Dove’s disappointment

ringneck pigeon in dry birdbath
Where’s my water?

We had a bit of rain a while ago but nothing but drizzle since then so our birdbath still gets a lot of use. This Spotted Dove, an early-morning visitor, looks quite put out at the low water level.

I, of course, blame the other birds, especially the Mynahs,  for splashing it all out. They, more fairly, blame me for not refilling it fast enough. Never mind – we do try, and I did top it up when I noticed the problem.

Incidentally, the bird has had a Latin name change: it is now Spilopelia chinensis rather than Streptopelia chinensis. Birds in Backyards still has it as Streptopelia, as do BirdLife Australia and my 2004 edition of Slaters’ Field Guide, but Birdway has been updated (it’s usually well up to date with name changes) and Wikipedia explains the change here.

It’s still a Spotted Dove or Spotted Turtle-dove, of course, since common names don’t change by decree, and it’s still a naturalised foreigner, introduced from China and South-east Asia as long ago as the 1860s.

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