Mourning Dove

The Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, is named for its low-toned, mournful call (ooah-coo-coo-coo). It is one of North America's most abundant and frequently hunted birds, and the only native bird found in all 254 Texas counties.

Mourning Doves are smaller than White-winged Doves but larger than Incas. Dark gray primary wings contrast their brownish body. Other distinctive characteristics include: black spots on the wings, black-bordered white tips on the tail feathers, a black spot on the cheek, dull red legs, and a head which seems small in comparison to its body.

These birds are fast (40-55 mph and even faster with a tail wind) and their feathers produce a whirring or whistling sound, especially during takeoff.

Mourning Doves forage on the ground and prefer seeds such as sunflowers, ragweed, annual grasses, wheat, milo, and oats. Consuming 12-20% of their body weight per day, they often swallow the seeds and store them in an enlargement of the esophagus called the crop. Once filled, they fly to a safe perch to digest the meal.

Instead of feeding insects to their young (called squab) as most other seed-eating birds, Mourning Doves feed them "pigeion's milk" (fluid from the lining of the crop). The parent, both male and female, regurgitates the "milk" directly into the hatchling's mouth & throat.

Of the three types of doves I have seen on the ranch (Mourning, Inca, and White-winged), Mourning Doves are the least common.