Mourning Dove? (1 Viewer)

[diddyriddick]

I'm on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.

I've been watching Mourning Dove for the better part of my almost 50 years. But since I've been here in North Carolina, I've noticed something odd in some dove here in the early summer. They look exactly like Mourning Dove in every aspect that I can see.

However, their call is different. I've always heard Mourning Dove's call like "Whoooooooo.....Whooooooo-Who" (Whole note, Half note, Quarter note) going up in pitch on the last "who." but these birds are more like a repeated "Whooooo-Whoooo...Who-Who." (Quarter, Quarter eighth-eighth).

Likewise, their call when flushed is different than I am accustomed to. All the Mourning Dove that I've ever flushed give a rapid distinctive "tee-tee-tee-tee" when flushed. But these birds give a long, lower "screeeech."

My bird guide is the National Geographic, and the only species that are close in size and coloring are 1. Mourning Dove and 2. White-Winged Dove. As I mentioned, I would have thought Mourning Dove, but for their call. I know that White-Wings are occasional visitors here on the Eastern Seaboard, but don't think so, in this case. I've spent a great deal of time in South Texas and have seen thousands of White-Wings; these birds simply have no white.

I know that is not a lot to go on, but.....Any ideas?

 

[KenM]

If you've spent your life at various locations......perhaps hundreds of miles apart? then there may be slight regional differences across the range with their calls?

cheers

 

[diddyriddick]

If you've spent your life at various locations......perhaps hundreds of miles apart? then there may be slight regional differences across the range with their calls?

cheers

Agreed. But I also hear the original call. In fact, other than during early summer, the only call I hear is the one I'm accustomed to.

You might be right, but it seems very odd.

 

[Larry Lade]

Perhaps, the variation you are hearing is coming from young birds which are in the process of learning the song of which you are more accustomed.

At any rate, you might check out this website, type in a bird to search for and then scroll down the page to listen to the songs which have been recorded. Click here.

* You might check out the Eurasian Collared-Dove and see if that sounds anything like what you are hearing.

 

[diddyriddick]

Perhaps, the variation you are hearing is coming from young birds which are in the process of learning the song of which you are more accustomed.

At any rate, you might check out this website, type in a bird to search for and then scroll down the page to listen to the songs which have been recorded. Click here.

* You might check out the Eurasian Collared-Dove and see if that sounds anything like what you are hearing.

Thank you, kindly! I think you've hit the nail on the head!

 

[fugl]

Thank you, kindly! I think you've hit the nail on the head!

Which nail? Eurasian Collared Dove or young Mourning Dove?

 

[peachfront]

Is it possible you heard the Eurasian Collared Dove and saw some Mourning Doves, and put two and two together to make five? They seem like to similar places around here and share the suburban habitat but they can be told from a long distance apart, once you realize they are there, by the very different tails. Also they don't have any wing whistle when they fly, I mean none, not that I've ever heard. Once you realize who is who, you might be surprised at how many you have in the area.

The collar doesn't always show well at a distance. Look at the tail. They have a good photo of flying birds in Opus bird encyclopedia on this site by a poster called "riccardo." Once you know that tail, compared to the graceful tapered tail of the Mourning Dove, you won't have any trouble.

I envy your good ear, I only realized the two species had a different song after I'd already had lots of visual sightings of Eurasian Collared Dove. One coo is much like another coo to my ears.

Eurasians are larger and chunkier but size is deceiving, since frequently the Eurasians sit with each other and the Mourning Doves sit with each other, and you don't actually see them side by side as often as you might expect, for such a common bird, so you don't judge the size correctly in your mind. No way it's White-Wing, as you've already surmised, you can see the White-Wing crescent too easily, even in bad light, for a very long way.

In my neighborhood, they seem to have reached an equilibrium. At first I thought the Eurasians would over-run my yard but they eventually they yielded it back to the Mourning Doves, and I usually see the Eurasians when at the drive-in at my bank and/or across the street at the gas station. Sometimes they sit a little higher than a Mourning Dove would, on high wires or telephone poles, not a fixed rule, but if your Eurasian Collared-Doves are doing that, it might explain why you hear them cooing and first look around to see the Mourning Doves.

 

[diddyriddick]

Which nail? Eurasian Collared Dove or young Mourning Dove?

Sorry....Eurasian Collared Dove.

 

[diddyriddick]

Is it possible you heard the Eurasian Collared Dove and saw some Mourning Doves, and put two and two together to make five? They seem like to similar places around here and share the suburban habitat but they can be told from a long distance apart, once you realize they are there, by the very different tails. Also they don't have any wing whistle when they fly, I mean none, not that I've ever heard. Once you realize who is who, you might be surprised at how many you have in the area.

Certainly. I've only seen them from the museum where I volunteer, and only close once or twice. The only thing that I really had to go on was silhouette and call from 150-200 yards. In my misspent youth, I hunted Dove in the late summer and early fall every year. So I've seen literally tens of thousands of Mourning Dove, White-Wings, Rock Dove, and Inca Dove. Candidly, this is the first that I've ever heard of the Eurasian Collared. Since it isn't listed in my Guide, the closest thing that I had as an example were the Mourning and White-Wing species.

I envy your good ear, I only realized the two species had a different song after I'd already had lots of visual sightings of Eurasian Collared Dove. One coo is much like another coo to my ears.

Perhaps that would be the Musician in me coming out.