Mourning Dove

Overview

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a medium-sized, slender dove that is one of the most abundant and widespread birds in North America. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is commonly known by other names, including the American mourning dove, rain dove, and turtle dove.

Identification

• Light gray and brown plumage that is generally muted, with a lighter, pinkish underside and black spotting on the wings.
• A distinctive crescent-shaped area of dark feathers located below the eye, surrounded by light blue skin.
• A long, tapered tail with white outer feathers that contrast with black inner feathers.
• A doleful, plaintive cooOOoo-wooo-woo-woooo call, which can be mistaken for an owl, and a distinctive whistling sound produced by the wings during take-off and landing.

Habitat

The species occupies a wide variety of open and semi-open habitats, such as urban areas, farms, prairies, grasslands, and lightly wooded areas, while avoiding swamps and thick forests. Its range spans nearly 11,000,000 km² across the Greater Antilles, most of Mexico, the continental United States, southern Canada, and Bermuda, with migration occurring over land and usually during the day.

Diet

Mourning doves eat almost exclusively seeds, which make up more than 99% of their diet, though they rarely consume snails or insects. They usually forage on the ground by walking, filling their crops before flying away to digest while resting, and often swallow grit such as fine gravel or sand to assist with digestion.

Did you know?

A 2011 study discovered that the iridescent feathers of mourning doves can change hue and increase reflectance by almost 50% in response to environmental stimuli such as the addition and evaporation of water. This colour shift is caused by a twisting of the feather barbules that exposes more surface area for reflection, challenging the previous belief that feather colours are relatively static.