Mourning Dove

About the Mourning Dove

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread North American birds and a popular gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure is due to its prolific breeding; in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year. The wings make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, a form of sonation.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name

Zenaida macroura

Family

Pigeons and Doves

Order

Columbiformes

Similar species

Other members of the pigeons and doves family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

• African Collared-Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Blue Ground Dove Claravis pretiosa
• Caribbean Dove Leptotila jamaicensis
• Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Wood-Pigeon Columba palumbus
• Crested Pigeon Ocyphaps lophotes
• Diamond Dove Geopelia cuneata
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
• European Turtle-Dove Streptopelia turtur
• Gray-chested Dove Leptotila cassinii
• Gray-headed Dove Leptotila plumbeiceps