Mourning Dove
Zenaida macrouraAlso known as American Mourning Dove, Rain Dove, Carolina Turtledove, Carolina Pigeon
Mourning doves are slender, medium-sized birds famed for their soft, lamenting coo calls that echo across North American fields and suburbs. When startled, their wings produce a sharp whistling sound created by specialized feather aerodynamics as they launch into rapid flight. Monogamous pairs build simple twig nests in trees or shrubs, feeding their newly hatched chicks a rich secretion called crop milk.
- Sunflower Seeds
- Grass Seeds
- Waste Grain
- Cooper's Hawk
- Feral Cats
- Great Horned Owl
- OrderColumbiformes
- FamilyColumbidae
- GenusZenaida
- SpeciesZenaida macroura
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
- Feeder Placement: Provide tray or ground feeders stocked with sunflower seeds or white millet.
- Window Safety: Install window decals or netting to prevent fatal collisions when birds flush quickly.
- Ground Observation: Watch for their rhythmic head-bobbing walk while they forage along gravel paths.
Competitor stevem4560 / CC BY 4.0 · cc-by
Predator "Cooper's Hawk - immature" by Kaaren Perry is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative (c) MarvalPhotography19, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by MarvalPhotography19 · cc-by
Extinct Relative (c) James St. John, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Found in Collections
Urban Dwellers
Mourning Dove is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
Backyard Birds
Mourning Dove is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
Unlock to track progress
Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.