Mourning Dove

Look for

A slender, long-tailed tan-brown dove with a small head, black spots on the wing, and a pointed white-edged tail that whistles in flight. Soft peach wash on the breast.

Size: ~12" — long and slim because of the tail.

Listen for

• "Coo": a soft, mournful "coo-OOH-coo-coo-coo" — this is the sound that gave them the name. Often mistaken for an owl.
• Wing whistle: takeoff produces a high whistling flutter, like a wind-up toy — a mechanical alarm produced by modified wing feathers.

Where in Memphis

Every yard, every wire, every parking lot, every field. One of the most abundant birds in the U.S. — estimated 350 million North American population.

Behavior

• Ground feeders. They scratch seed from lawns and below feeders.
• Crop milk. Like all doves, they feed chicks a rich "milk" produced by the lining of the crop — one of very few birds that do.
• Monogamous per season, 2–6 broods per summer.
• Flimsy nests — platforms of twigs so loose that eggs occasionally fall through.

Story

Most-hunted bird in America

Mourning Doves are the most-hunted game bird in North America — roughly 20 million taken annually. Because their populations are stable and reproduction is prolific, populations remain high.

The "turtle dove" confusion

Southerners often call them turtle doves — though the true European Turtle Dove is a different species. The Mourning Dove fills the cultural role of "the dove" across the South.

Folk-weather

Old Memphis-region lore: mourning doves cooing in the morning mean rain by evening. Probably weather-correlated but not magical.

Fun facts

• They drink by suction — unlike most birds that tip up to swallow, doves and pigeons dip their bills and pump water up.
• Their flight speed can reach 55 mph.
• Oldest known wild Mourning Dove: 30+ years.
• They're one of very few birds that can lay eggs during any month in Memphis — though mostly April–September.