Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura
Dove family (Columbidae)

Habitat:
Open areas.

Description:
10 ½” long.  Sleek body, small head, grayish brown back, buffy below.  In flight:  long pointed tail, shorter outer tail feathers broadly tipped with white. 

Nesting:
Nest is a shallow loosely constructed cup on a horizontal branch in a shrub or tree, 10 to 25 feet above the ground.  Eggs are white.  Clutch size – 2 eggs. 

Voice:
Call is a mournful, “oo-a-hoo oo oo oo”.  Wings produce a fluttering whistle as the bird takes flight.

Name Origin:
Zenaida named by Bonaparte (naturalist, 1803-1857) for his wife, Zenaide, for close association of mated pairs like lovebirds; macroura:  macros, Greek for “long”, oura, Greek for “tail”.

In the Nature Park:
Year-round resident.  Often visits bird feeders at the Welcome Center during winter, foraging on the ground underneath the feeders.  Nests in shrubs or trees near the buildings.