The mourning collared dove or African mourning dove (''Streptopelia decipiens'') is a

dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

which is a widespread resident breeding bird in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

south of the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. Despite its name, it is not related to the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

mourning dove The mourning dove (''Zenaida macroura'') is a member of the dove Family (biology), family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, the chueybird, colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known a ...

(''Zenaida macroura''). This species is common or abundant near water. They often mingle peacefully with other doves.

Description

The Mourning Collared Dove is a medium sized, stocky pigeon, up to 32 cm in length. It is often black with pale brown wings, which are broad and pointed. The head is grey and the underside is pink, giving a pale grey shading on the belly. There is a black hind neck patch edged with white. The legs and a patch of bare skin around the eye are red. When flying, it shows dark colored flight feathers and extensive white in the tail, the latter being a distinction from the similar but larger

red-eyed dove The red-eyed dove (''Streptopelia semitorquata'') is a dove that is widespread and common in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. Taxonomy The red-eyed dove was formally described by the Germ ...

. Sexes are similar, but immatures are duller than adults, and have scalloping on the body

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exa ...

s. African mourning dove (Streptopelia decipiens perspicillata).jpg, ''S. d. perspicillata'',

Lake Baringo Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, with a surface area of and an elevation of . The lake is fed by several rivers: the Molo River, Molo, Perkerra River, Perkerra and Ol Arabel. It has no obvio ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

African mourning dove (Streptopelia decipiens shelleyi).jpg, ''S. d. shelleyi'',

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

Streptopelia decipiens -near Baringo Lake, Kenya -adult on nest-8.jpg, on a nest near

Behavior

The mourning collared dove's flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.

Diet and feeding

Mourning collared doves eat grass seeds, grains and other vegetation. They are quite terrestrial, and usually forage on the ground. Unlike several other species in this genus, they are quite gregarious and often feed in groups.

Sounds

The call from the Mourning Collared Dove is a deep, nasally call note that sounds along the lines of ''kuk-koooo-kuk.'' This call pattern is flat and considered a hoot.

Reproduction

These birds typically mate monogamously and the timing in which they mate depends on location. For example, breeding occurs from December to June in Sudan, but September through October in Chad, and in other places breeding occurs each month. After breeding, they tend to build a stick nest in low tree branch or bush, preferably closer to the ground, often a

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

. A clutch is the term for the two white

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

that are laid. The eggs need to be incubated for fifteen days, which is done by both male and female.

References

* ''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, Audubon. “Eurasian Collared-Dove.” ''Audubon'', 9 Dec. 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/eurasian-collared-dove Kammin, Laura. “Do You Know Your Doves?” ''Outdoor Illinois Journal'', 21 Mar. 2025, outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/articles/do-you-know-your-doves Pappas, Janice. “Streptopelia Roseogrisea (African Collared Dove).” ''Animal Diversity Web'', animaldiversity.org/accounts/Streptopelia_roseogrisea/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

External links

* Mourning collared dove
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q113218 mourning collared dove Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa mourning collared dove mourning collared dove