Mourning Dove (Carolina Dove, Rain Crow)

The Mourning Dove is a slender, medium-sized dove with a graceful long tail, a small head, and a distinctive melancholy cooing vocalization. Their plumage is predominantly delicate grey-brown tones with black spots on the wings and iridescent pinkish patches on the neck.

Uniform soft grayish-blue or silvery-grey coloration with a subtle pale fringe along the rounded tip, typical of mourning dove soft body plumage

Pennaceous at the upper exposed tip transitioning into a softer, slightly plumulaceous base; barbs are interconnected with standard barbicels

Smooth, silky, and relatively soft to the touch with a matte finish, lacking extreme stiffness

Uniform silvery-grey color, rounded tip, soft texture, and slender flexible rachis characteristic of columbid body plumage

Open country, urban areas, farms, prairies, and open woodlands with scattered trees and access to open water

Widespread across North America, ranging from southern Canada through the entire United States, Mexico, and into Central America

Acts as an important seed disperser and a primary food source for many raptor and mammalian predators

Eurasian Collared-Dove, which has larger feathers and a more sandy-buff coloration

Mourning doves are one of the most abundant and widely distributed birds in North America and can fly at speeds up to 55 mph

Good condition, showing minor natural wear at the tip but fully intact barbs and a strong rachis