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Breeding Range Map

Measuring 12 inches in length, the Mourning Dove is pale gray-brown above and buff below. It has large black spots on its wings, and a long, pointed tail which enables easy identification in poor light and in flight. The eyes are black with faint blue rings around them. Males and females are similar. The Mourning dove’s distinctive tail is long and pointed and the legs are red. Juvenile Mourning Doves appear similar to adults but may look scaled, and have shorter tails.

The Mourning Dove is best known for its mournful cooing call and the whistling sound its wings make in flight. The Mourning Dove is the nation’s most common game bird, but remains one of its most abundant birds.

Diet: Mostly seeds. The mourning dove is easily attracted to feeders where it usually feeds on fallen seeds. It often will eat sand or grit to help with digestion.

Range: The Mourning Dove is a common year-round resident throughout the United States, the Caribbean islands, and northern Mexico. Birds that breed in southern Canada may migrate south. Some birds winter in Central America.

Habitat: Mourning doves are found in open areas where they are observing perching on telephone wires, fences, homes, chimneys, and other conspicuous places. They can also be found in open forests, desert habitats, parks, gardens, and in inner city environments.

Reproduction: Female Mourning Doves almost always lay two white eggs. The nest is a haphazard structure of sticks, often built near humans in shrubs, trees, vines, or even on houses. Both the male and the female construct the nest, and both parents tend to the young. Young Mourning Doves fledge in 15 days.

Mourning Dove