Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove, adult male

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Mourning Dove, female

Mourning Dove juvenile

Mourning Dove nest

Mourning Dove eggs

Mourning Dove nest

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

Abundant and widespread, the Mourning Dove is well known throughout most of North America. Its mournful call is heard from deserts to forest edges, from farmlands to inner cities.

Description

• Medium-sized bird.
• Small head.
• Long, pointed tail.
• Light brown body.
• Tail with white outer edges.

• Size: 23-34 cm (9-13 in)
• Wingspan: 37-45 cm (15-18 in)
• Weight: 86-170 g (3.04-6.0 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but males slightly larger and slightly more colorful, with bluish crown and pink chest.

Sound

Song a plaintive Òcoo-OOH, Ooo-Ooo-OooÓ. Wings whistle in flight.

Conservation Status

Widespread and abundant. Hunted throughout its range. Possibly declining in West. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Tourterelle triste (French)
Huilota (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• During nest-building, the female stays at the nest and the male collects sticks. He stands on her back to give her the nest material. She takes it and weaves it into the nest.

• The Mourning Dove almost invariably lays two eggs. Clutches of three or four are the result of more than one female laying in the nest. A dove may have up to five or six clutches in a single year.

• A Mourning Dove pair rarely leaves its eggs unattended. The male usually incubates from midmorning until late afternoon, and the female sits the rest of the day and night.

• The Mourning Dove is the most widespread and abundant game bird in North America. Despite being hunted throughout most of its range, it remains among the 10 most abundant birds in the United States.

Sources used to construct this page:

Mirarchi, R. E., and T. S. Baskett. 1994. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). In The Birds of North America, No. 117 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.