BREEDING BIRDS: MOURNING DOVE, SPOTTED DOVE

MOURNING DOVE

(Zenaida macroura)

SPOTTED DOVE

(Streptopelia chinensis)

Description: The adult spotted dove is most easily distinguished by its distinctive spotted collar. Wings and white-tipped tail of the spotted dove are more rounded than that of mourning dove.

Habitat: The mourning dove is common in urban, suburban and rural areas. The spotted dove is restricted primarily to areas of human habitation.

Diet: Seeds and grain.

Call: Mourning doves give a mournful oowoo-woo-woo-woo . The spotted dove’s call is a harsher oo-hoo-oo-hurrrp .

Nest: Flimsy, usually of crossed sticks or twigs, lined with fine materials.

Eggs: White, unmarked, about 1 inch long.

Natural history notes: The mourning dove is the most common of North American doves. The spotted dove, which is restricted to southwestern California, is an Asian species introduced to Los Angeles in the early 1900s.

Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas (now in its fifth and final year), call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160.

Note: Maps are divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis.

Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).