Races of the introduced spotted turtledove, Streptopelia chinensis (Scopoli), in Australia

Abstract

The measurements and plumage colour characteristics of 1239 specimens of S. chinensis collected in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Innisfail, Qld., have been examined and the data compared to similar measurements for examples of the races tigrina, chinensis and suratensis. No distinctive character of the Indian race suratensis was seen in the Australian populations. The population in Innisfail was almost pure tigrina. In the other cities examples of tigrina and chinensis and many intergrades between them were found. The degree of dominance by tigrina varied from place to place but in general it was least in Melbourne and greatest in Perth. Genetic considerations were sufficient to explain most of the differences in colour characters in the different populations but there were probably both genotypic and phenotypic influences in the body measurements.