Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Also known as:American Mourning Dove, Rain Dove, Carolina Pigeon, Carolina Turtledove

Explore this bird

Identification

30 cm (12") Our most abundant and widespread dove. It is found across the United States and southern Canada in open fields, parks, lawns, feeders.

Slim brown and buffy body with pink on underparts. Tail is long and tapered to a point. Black spots on upperwings.

In flight; swift and direct. Wings whistle when the bird takes off and in flight the tail shows white at the edge.

Song: mournful "coah, cooo, cooo, coo".

Details in the field

2 photos

Credit: Larry Bond

Watch and learn

2 videos

Mourning Dove

Credit: Larry Bond

Mourning Dove Portrait

Credit: Lang Elliott's Nature Channel

Where it lives

Source legend · original intervals

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Unshaded in source · does not imply absence

Generic and winter maps may use different intervals.