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Species Name: Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
 Length: 12 inches
Description: A medium sized passerine. Distinctive slim shape, with
long tail tapering to a point and small headed. Bill smallish and delicate
looking. Short legs. Body buffy tan with some black spots on wing coverts;
pinkish wash on breast. Iridescent feathers on sides of neck may flash greenish,
rose pink, or golden in certain light. Delicate pale blue eye ring.
Legs pinkish red. Juvenile birds appear much darker with more spotting and
often a scaly look to the feathers; more contrasting pattern on face.
Range: Found in all Lower 48 states; breeds throughout much of
North America. Most abundant and widespread dove in North America.
Winters in most of US range and Mexico
Behavior: Found in a variety of habitats, from farmlands,
urban parks, suburban yards. Named for distinctive mournful call. Wings
make prominent whistling flutter when taking flight. Frequently bobs head
back-and-forth when walking. Males inflate chest and neck, and hop about
chasing females for breeding. Breeds almost any time of year. Ground feeder;
seeds and cracked corn.
Related or Similar Species: 15 species of pigeons and doves are
listed in the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America,
but only the Mourning Dove and the Rock Dove (common pigeon) are widely
distributed. The Band-tailed Pigeon looks more like the widespread urban
pigeon than a dove, and is restricted to the mountains of the west. The
Zenaida Dove closely resembles the Mourning Dove, but is a very rare stray
from the West Indies to the Florida Keys. The White-winged Dove of the
Mexican border states sometimes shows up elsewhere in the US; it is easily
told from the Mourning Dove by the prominent wing patches, larger black bill,
and shorter tail. The much smaller Inca Dove can resemble a juvenile
Mourning Dove but shows rufous in the wings.
Identification: Distinctive small-headed shape and relative
lack of look-alike species makes this an easy identification.
Advice on Finding and Photographing: Abundance and wide
distribution of this species makes it available to almost all photographers.
As a ground feeder, it may require a very low shooting position. Look for
roosting birds at or above eye level in early morning or late afternoon, but
be careful of exposure problems with bright sky backgrounds and watch for
intrusive branches and busy backgrounds in the frame. Look for birds on fence
posts or wire along farm country roads and work from the car
Editor's Comment: Let us know what you think! Please email the
Editor
to let us know your thoughts.
Richard Ditch been looking at birds and taking
their photographs since the early 1970's, when he caught the "birding bug" from
a friend at work. He was very active as a birder when he lived in New Jersey (1970-1994),
maintaining lists of all the birds he saw each year in the state and elsewhere.
Rich was a volunteer and field trip leader at the Owl Haven Nature Center
(part of the New Jersey Audubon Society) and was a member of the Board of Directors
for many years, along with being a frequent contributor to their quarterly magazine
and to Records of New Jersey Birds. After moving to Phoenix, AZ in 1994 as a result
of a job change, he found the birds to be a lot different and went through a rapid
period of learning new species and new forms of species East. Richard is also a
very active Member of our PhotoMigrations community and is a regular contributor
to our forums. Please feel free to
email him and be sure to visit his website located at:
Birds in Nature - Images of Wild Birds.
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