The Mourning Dove

The Mourning Dove is a uniquely identifiable gamebird with its sorrowful woo-OO-oo-oo-oo call giving the bird its name and with the sharp whistling sound of their wings on take-offs and landings they’re easily recognizable. It’s a leading gamebird in North America with over 20 million being shot annually nationwide. North Dakota has approximately 5000 hunters who actively pursue this bird for its meat and for sport. The Dove is an early migrating bird and puts a new spin on the meaning of the saying, “Having cold feet.” Dove season opened in Montana and in North Dakota on September 1st and closed on October 30th, but hunters need to take advantage of the first couple weeks of the season, as once the first frost hits (or their toes freeze) they tend to begin migrating to the far south to enjoy the warmer climate.

Mike Szymanski, a Migratory Game Bird Biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish, has been involved in the banding of 1500 – 2000 Dove all over the state of North Dakota. The birds are banded for a number of reasons: One of which is to monitor their survival rates, another is to guide harvest management to track where they migrate. Typically, most of the birds banded in western North Dakota have been harvested in the central highlands of Mexico and in Texas, although one Dove was harvested as far as Nicaragua.

They have the capability of reaching speeds up to 55mph and can fly as straight as a beam of light. Unlike many birds, males and females are similar in appearance and both incubate and care for their squab (young). An average Dove is approximately 12” long and weighs only 4-6 ounces. While lying on the ground, a flat surface or a tree limb, the Mourning dove will lean over with one wing stretched for up to twenty minutes while sunbathing or rain bathing. It’s also common to see this interesting bird Dust bathing.

If you’re fortunate enough to wake up to the plaintive cooing of the Mourning Dove, lie back and listen to its lamenting and almost sad song. No matter where I am, the Mourning Doves song makes me feel like I’m home.