First photographic record of a colour aberrant Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis from the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, India

Colour aberrations are rare conditions in birds that are caused by genetic as well as environmental factors. Among the colour aberrations in birds, albino, leucism, progressive greying, brown, dilution, ino, and melanism are the best known. This report describes an observation of colour aberration in a Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis suratensis) from India. It was recorded in the Deobali Jalah (an IBA site) of Nagaon district, Assam. The recorded individual exhibited a pale plumage with normal eyes and some light brown colour in some of the feathers, indicating this to be a form of dilution. The report also represents the first photographic documentation of colour aberration in Spotted Doves from Brahmaputra Valley of Assam, India. Further research is necessary to comprehend the causes of colour aberration in Spotted Doves.