Mourning dove

Zenaida macroura · The mourning dove is a slender, gray-brown member of the dove family and one of the most abundant and widespread birds in North America.

Also called American mourning dove, Rain dove, Carolina pigeon, Carolina turtledove, Turtle dove.

Mourning dove
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mourning dove
Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mourning dove
Photo: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderColumbiformes
FamilyColumbidae
GenusZenaida
SpeciesZenaida macroura

Where it lives

Open country and suburbs from southern Canada to Panama and the Caribbean.

Fun facts

  • In warm areas, one pair of mourning doves may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year.
  • A mourning dove's wings make an unusual whistling sound when it takes off and lands.
  • Mourning doves are strong fliers, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph).
  • Baby mourning doves are fed crop milk by their parents, even though adults eat almost nothing but seeds.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).