OTHER NAMES: American Mourning Dove, Rain Dove, Turtle Dove
Latin Etymology: Zenaida (named for Princess Zénaïde Bonaparte) macroura ("long tailed")
Mourning Dove (subspecies Z. m. marginella) at San Jose, California - August 2022
Featured Subspecies: Zenaida macroura marginella
Weight: 112-170g / Length: 31cm / Wingspan: 37-45cm
NO UK STATUS/ IUCN Red List: Least Concern
One of the most ubiquitous species across the entire Lower 48 states of the USA, the mourning dove is a familiar small pigeon whose name derives from its somewhat melancholy call. This success is in part aided by the fact that they are incredibly prolific breeders - given suitably comfortable habitats they have been known to raise six broods in a season, allowing them to still increase despite their high mortality rate - it is believed 20 million are shot annually by human hunters alone!
Related Species:
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Zenaida
SUBSPECIES: Z. m. marginella, Z. m. carolinensis, Z. m. macroura, Z. m. clarionensis, Z. m. turturilla
- Sighting Locations -
A widespread and abundant species resident in much of the country, and breeding visitor to the majority of the rest.
- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Berkeley, San Jose, Monterey and San Francisco
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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