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THE MOURNING DOVE:
The familiar, mournful song of the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), a low-
Most abundant of the doves
This colorful bird, the most abundant and widespread dove in the United States, is also found in southern Canada, but is most common throughout the Great Plains in the Midwest.2 Though not large, it’s the most widely harvested game bird in North America, eagerly hunted throughout its range. Despite heavy hunting, it’s among the ten most abundant birds in the country, though some say it’s declining in the West.3
Prolific breeder
Mourning doves have the longest breeding season of North American birds. In warmer climes, they produce up to six broods per year, more than any native bird. Two eggs are laid in a nest. Evergreen trees appear to be the most favored spot although a variety of nesting sites are used, including clumps of grass. After finding a mate, males select the nest site. The couple will devote up to ten hours over three days, building their nest.4 Females generally lay two small, white eggs in the open nest. Incubation lasts about fifteen days. Both males and females share this duty and the feeding of their young.
Eating habits
Mourning doves eat a variety of seeds, waste grain, fruit and insects. They prefer seeds on the ground, though they’ll eat in trees and bushes when ground foods become scarce. Since doves like corn, millet, rye, barley and oats, they’re sometimes considered nuisances by farmers.
What to look for
This nine to thirteen inch long bird sports a small head and a long, pointed tail. Males are slightly larger than females. The outer tail feathers have white tips with black markings midway; the tail appears edged with a black and white stripe. Wings have dark primaries, and wing coverts and scapulars are boldly spotted with black. Crown, nape and hindneck are slate in color, turning to grayish brown over their upperparts. The face is pinkish buff, the underparts have a pinkish wash and the belly is buff-colored.
The mourning dove’s species name, macroura, is Greek for “long-tailed.” Interestingly, while in some states it is hunted as a game bird, in others it’s protected as a songbird.5