First breeding record of Laughing dove Spilopelia senegalensis for Greece

The Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a widespread species in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. Over the last two decades, the species has begun to expand its distribution northward and has established breeding populations in the Canary Islands, Italy, and Cyprus. For the first time in Greece, a Laughing dove nest with two nestlings was found on a window ledge in the village of Loutra on the eastern Aegean Island of Lesvos, in September 2021. The successful breeding in Loutra, followed by a further two breeding attempts could be the start of the establishment of a permanent population on the island.