Mourning Dove (Carolina Dove, American Mourning Dove)

The Mourning Dove is a slender, graceful bird with a long, tapered tail and a soft pinkish-fawn to grayish-brown plumage. Known for its mournful cooing calls and swift, whistling flight, it is one of the most abundant and familiar birds across North America.

Soft grayish-blue with subtle brownish-pink iridescence near the center and a pale, neutral gray shaft

Pennaceous upper portion with moderately interlocked barbs transitioning to a slightly plumulaceous base

Silky and soft to the touch with a matte finish, lacking extreme rigidity found in flight feathers

Soft grayish-pink coloration, slender flexible white-to-grey shaft, and smooth rounded contour vane typical of columbids

Open country, urban areas, farmlands, prairies, and light woods, avoiding dense forests and wetlands

Widespread throughout North America, ranging from southern Canada through the United States and Mexico to Central America

Acts as an important granivore consuming immense quantities of weed seeds and waste grain, and serves as a primary prey species for raptors

Eurasian Collared-Dove, which has larger feathers with a distinct black neck patch and paler grey tones

Mourning Doves are capable of drinking water without lifting their heads, using their bill like a straw. They also produce crop milk to feed their altricial chicks.

Good condition with minor wear at the very tip, indicating it was likely dropped during a recent molt