Bird Gallery Index

Mourning Dove image © Wayne Nicholas

Family: (Columbidae) Pigeons and Doves

Preferred Habitat: Suburbs and rural areas.

Seasonal Occurrence: Abundant in all seasons.

Notes: The Mourning Dove may be found in almost all habitats except deep woods. In Houston it is very fond of suburban sites, where it may often be spotted on sidewalks and short grass looking for seeds. Mourning Doves often take advantage of hanging baskets as relatively safe nesting sites. Because they are so tame they are an easy species to study. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology sponsors Dove Detectives, a study-watch of urban doves and pigeons.

Mourning Doves are declining in numbers in certain neighborhoods in Houston, where they appear to be displaced by White-winged Doves. This is particularly evident in areas inside the Loop. As shown in Robert McFarlane's photo below, White-winged Doves are larger than Mourning Doves and even when on the ground display a white border on the wings, making them easy to distinguish. The Houston Bird Survey on this site has more information and a distribution map.
- Susan Billetdeaux

Mourning Dove and White-winged Doves image © Robert McFarlane