Mourning doves make cooing/wooing sound, fly fast

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Reprinted from May 5 and 12, 2022
Second of three parts

Here is the continuation of interesting facts of the beloved mourning doves. Teri Dunn contributed the following article in the Birds&Blooms magazine: “Mourning doves are beloved in backyards across America. Learn interesting facts you should know about the beautiful mourning dove.

What Does a Mourning Dove Look Like?

“Both male and female mourning doves are known for their brown and gray coloring, black spots, small heads and slender tails. They have that really amazing mix of muted tones, with beautiful defined black spots on their wings. ‘You can sort of see an iridescence,’ said John Rowden, who is the senior director of bird-friendly communities at the National Audubon Society. They are 12 inches long with an 18-inch wingspan.”

Mourning Dove vs. Eurasian Collared Dove

“Mourning doves are often confused with Eurasian collared doves, or white-winged doves. If a thick black band is present on the collar, it’s a collared dove. You can tell white-winged doves apart by their namesake white wing stripe.

What Does a Mourning Dove Call Sound Like?

“Why do doves coo? The cooooOOOOO-woo-woo-woo call is almost always uttered by the male mourning dove, not the female. These distinctive mourning dove sounds are—wait for it—a wooing call, an enticement to a mate or potential mate. Many passionate backyard birders find the soft, distinctive, cooing of this dove to be calming and utterly peaceful. ‘The birds vocalize quite a lot and that’s where they get their name, because of their mournful call,’ said John Rowden.

Unique Sleeping Position

“When they sleep, their head rests between their shoulders, close to the body (they do not tuck their little heads under their shoulder feathers, similar to a many other birds).

How Fast Do Mourning Doves Fly?

“Their long, pointed wings are almost falcon-like in appearance, while their pointed tails are longer than those of any other doves. These design features enable the birds to fly fast. Mourning doves have been clocked at 55 mph!”

Continued next week

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