Mourning Dove - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

ORDER: Columbiformes
FAMILY: Columbidae ( Pigeons and Doves - 12 Species)
SPECIES: Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Mourning Dove
The Mourning Dove is one of the most abundant and widely distributed birds in North America.
SIZE	The Mourning Dove is a slender, medium-sized (9-13") dove.
DESCRIPTION	The plumage is generally light gray and brownish and lighter below. The wings have black spotting, and the outer tail feathers are white, contrasting with the black inners. Below the eye is a distinctive crescent-shaped area of dark feathers. The eyes are dark, with bluish skin surrounding them. The adult male has bright purple-pink patches on the neck sides, with light pink coloring reaching the breast. Sexes are similar in appearance, but males are slightly larger and females have a more muted coloring.
NESTING	Clutch size range is 2-3 eggs (almost always 2), which are incubated in 14 to 16 days. Both parents take part in incubating the eggs and caring for the young. Both parents feed the squabs crop milk or "pigeon milk," for the first few days of life. The female dove builds the nest, usually in a tree, using material brought by the male. The nest is flimsy, a platform of twigs and grass blades.
RANGE	Its range stretches from Central America to southern Canada, and includes offshore islands, but many individuals migrate south to winter.
HABITAT	Mourning Doves are found in a variety of habitats, where open areas and forests meet, in suburban environments and along roadsides. They thrive in grain-producing fields.
DIET	Mourning Doves mainly eat seeds, which make up more than 99% of their diet. Mourning Doves swallow grit to help digest hard seeds and grain. They have a preference for corn, millet, safflower, and sunflower seeds.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.




Mourning Dove

Groton Township Tompkins County, New York


MgDv_175A_006571	MgDv_175A_038595


MgDv_175A_051764	MgDv_175A_032473




Morning Dove Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes