Juvenile

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DESCRIPTION

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

REPRODUCTION

MANAGEMENT

LITERATURE CITED

An adult mourning dove ranges from 11-13" long (Reilly 1968). Its long tail may give the mourning dove a small and slim appearance. Plumage is a buffy brown with a metallic purplish sheen at the side of the neck and with a small black spot below and behind the dark eye. The slim wedge-shaped tail has white tips on all but the elongated central feathers. The wings are usually a purple-tinged gray, darker on the flight feathers, and the back is sometimes sparsely spotted with very dark brown (Reilly 1968).

Voice

A mournful, drawn out, cooo-cooo-cooo-coo, repeated monotonously, and squeaky whistled noises when flushed. In summer, especially early in the morning, the voice is heard in the suburbs, in farming country and open woods (Mackenzie 1976).