This dove is long tailed buff brown with a white-spotted black collar patch on the back and sides of the neck.

The spotted dove was formally described in 1786 by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli and given the binomial name Columba chinensis.

Sundevall had designated Columba tigrina as the type species, a taxon that is now considered a subspecies of the spotted dove.

The population in India suratensis (type locality Surat) and ceylonensis from Sri Lanka have fine rufous or buff spots on the back.

There is a size reduction trend with specimens from southern India being smaller, and ceylonensis may merely be a part of this cline.

[8] This spotting is lacking on populations further north and east of India, such as tigrina, which also differ greatly in vocalizations from the Indian forms.

[13] The ground colour of this long and slim dove is rosy buff below shading into grey on the head and belly.

There is a half collar on the back and sides of the neck made of black feathers that bifurcate and have white spots at the two tips.

In India it tends to be found in the moister regions, with the laughing dove (S. senegalensis) appearing more frequently in drier areas.

A display flight involves taking off at a steep angle with a loud clapping of the wing and then slowly gliding down with the tail spread out.

[30] They nest mainly in low vegetation, building a flimsy cup of twigs in which two whitish eggs are laid.

[35][36] Their habit of flushing into the air when disturbed makes them a hazard on airfields, often colliding with aircraft and sometimes causing damage.