Common Emerald Dove

Chalcophaps indica (Linnaeus, 1758)

23–27 cmLength136 gWeight

It is a plump, squat dove with bright green back and wings, a bright red bill, and broad black-and-white bars visible on the lower back in flight.

Busiest months: February–March · Most records: India, Thailand, Malaysia

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Back and wings bright green
Bill bright red
Broad black-and-white bars exposed on lower back in flight
Head and belly rufous with a slight wine-red tinge

Male, female and young

Male has a white patch along the edge of the scapulars and a gray crown; female lacks these features and is more rufous-brown overall; immature resembles female, with brown scalloping on body and wings.

Where and when it's recorded

Common Emerald Dove has been recorded at 735 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia1,420 records
Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia957 records
Kaeng Krachan NPThailand887 records

More places

Dairy Farm Nature ParkSingapore815 records
Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – Nature Trail & LakeIndia670 records
Gunung Panti Recreational Forest – Panti Bird Sanctuary and North AreaMalaysia665 records
Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)612 records
Sinharaja Forest ReserveSri Lanka605 records
Taksin Maharat NP – headquarters vicinityThailand579 records
Dihing Patkai NP – SoraipungIndia556 records

Countries and regions with the most records

India Thailand Malaysia China Sri Lanka Singapore Philippines Vietnam

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The emerald dove or common emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The dove is also known by the names of green dove and green-winged pigeon. The common emerald dove is the state bird of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Common Emerald Dove?

The Common Emerald Dove is about 23–27 cm long and weighs around 136 g.

Where does the Common Emerald Dove live?

Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: India and Sri Lanka east of southeastern China, Taiwan (China), Philippines, Indonesian Archipelago and Raja Ampat Islands (northwest of New Guinea). It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and Malaysia.

When is the best time to see the Common Emerald Dove?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February and March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Common Emerald Dove endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Emerald Dove as Least Concern.

What does the Common Emerald Dove eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Common Emerald Dove in?

It belongs to the family Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae), order Columbiformes.

At a glance

Length: 23–27 cm
Weight: 136 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 144 mm
Tail: 84 mm
Bill: 21 mm
Tarsus: 26 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental, Australasia: India and Sri Lanka east of southeastern China, Taiwan (China), Philippines, Indonesian Archipelago and Raja Ampat Islands (northwest of New Guinea)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Chalcophaps indica indica India to s China, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesian Arch. (except se Lesser Sundas and s Moluccas) and Raja Ampat Is. (nw of New Guinea)