Mourning Dove | Audubon Field Guide

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Open Search Bird GuidePigeons and DovesMourning Dove Listen 2 Mourning Dove Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura At a Glance Range & Identification Behavior Conservation Explore More Back to Top

At a Glance

The mournful cooing of the Mourning Dove is one of our most familiar bird sounds. From southern Canada to central Mexico, this is one of our most common birds, often abundant in open country and along roadsides. The European settlement of the continent, with its clearing of the forest, likely helped this species increase. It also helps itself by breeding prolifically in warm climates. The Mourning Doves may raise up to six broods per year, more than any other native bird. All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Category Pigeon-like Birds, Pigeons and Doves IUCN Status Least Concern Habitat Coasts and Shorelines, Desert and Arid Habitats, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Forests and Woodlands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Urban and Suburban Habitats Region Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada Behavior Direct Flight, Flap/Glide Population 150.000.000

Range & Identification

Migration & Range Maps

Some remain through winter over most of breeding range, but many move south from northern areas in fall. Migration is mostly by day, in flocks.

Description

Sexes similar — Length: 9-13 in (23-33 cm); wingspan: 17 in (43 cm); weight: 3-6 oz (85-170 g). Long, pointed tail shows white spots along the edge in flight. The Mourning Dove is mostly plain, with black spots on its wings. The adult male is tinged pinkish on the chest and blue-gray on the crown; the female is duller, with plain brown plumage. Scaly-looking young bird sometimes mistaken for Inca Dove or Common Ground Dove. Size About the size of a Robin Color Black, Brown, Gray, Pink, Tan, White Wing Shape Pointed Tail Shape Long, Pointed, Wedge-shaped

Songs and Calls

Low mournful (hence its name) coo-ah, coo, coo, coo. Call Pattern Falling, Flat, Undulating Call Type Hoot

Habitat

Farms, towns, open woods, roadsides, and grasslands. The Mourning Dove is found in almost any kind of open or semi-open habitat in temperate parts of North America, including forest clearings, farmland, suburbs, prairies, and deserts. It may be most common in edge habitats having both trees and open ground, but it is also found in some treeless areas. Avoids unbroken forest. Sign up for Audubon's newsletter to learn more about birds like the Mourning Dove Email Zip Phone (optional) By submitting my mobile number I agree to receive periodic text messages from Audubon at 42248 about how I can help birds. Reply STOP to any message to unsubscribe. Message & data rates may apply. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Behavior

Eggs

2. White. Incubation is by both parents, about 14 days.

Young

Both parents feed young "pigeon milk." Young leave nest at about 15 days, usually wait nearby to be fed for next 1-2 weeks. One pair may raise as many as 5-6 broods per year in southern areas.

Feeding Behavior

The Mourning Dove forages mainly on the ground; it sometimes perches on plants to take seeds. Will come to bird feeders, often eating on the ground under elevated feeders. Eats quickly to fill its crop with seeds, then digests them while resting. Regularly swallows grit (small gravel) to aid in the digestion of hard seeds.

Diet

Seeds. The Mourning Dove feeds almost entirely on seeds (approximately 99 percent of its diet). Favors seeds of cultivated grains, also those of grasses, ragweeds, and many other plants. Occasionally eats snails, very rarely any insects.

Nesting

In courtship, the male Mourning Dove flies up with noisy wingbeats and then goes into a long circular glide, wings fully spread and slightly bowed down. On the ground, the male approaches the female stiffly, his chest puffed out, bowing and giving an emphatic cooing song. Members of mated pairs may preen each other's feathers. Nest: Male leads female to potential nest sites; female chooses one. Site is usually in a tree or shrub, sometimes on the ground, sometimes on a building ledge or other structure; usually lower than 40 ft, rarely up to 100 ft or more above ground. Nest is a very flimsy platform of twigs; the male brings material, the female builds.

Conservation

Conservation Status

Does very well in man-altered habitats. Mourning Dove numbers probably have increased significantly with the increasing settlement of North America. Change in Abundance Over Time Drawing on more than a century of community science from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), this chart shows how this species’ relative abundance has shifted in recent decades. Explore more and get involved in the CBC.

Climate Map

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Mourning Dove. Learn even more in Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

Climate Threats Facing the Mourning Dove

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.

Explore More

Murals, Art, and Culture

Artists throughout history and across the U.S. have captured this bird in murals, books, and museum hangings. See what they’ve done: ¡Atención!

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