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Birding Colorado Springs: Doves

Birds commonly seen in Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.

Doves

Doves are medium- to largish- sized songbirds. They all share the same behavior of head-bobbing and have similar beaks. The much-maligned pigeon is, in fact, a type of dove.

Mourning Dove

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mourning_Dove_2006.jpg
Author: Alan D. Wilson. Public Domain, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5

Info (All About Birds) Song (Macaulay Library) Video (YouTube)
  • Perches on large tree limbs and telephone wires; feeds on open ground
  • Mournful, rhythmic coo that may be mistaken for an owl, but heard during the day
  • Makes a whistling sound with its wings as it flies
  • The long graceful tail is noticeable both in flight and while stationary.

Pigeon (Rock Dove)

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1309587
Copyright Christine Matthews. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike-2.0 Generic

Info (All About Birds) Song (Macaulay Library) Video (YouTube)
  • Natural habitat is cliffs; pigeons flourish among human structures such as skyscrapers
  • Vocalization is a repetitive, throaty coo
  • Pigeons in North America are a mix of the original wild bird and domesticated breeds

Eurasian Collared-Dove

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hisgett/4215602681/sizes/m/
Author: ahisgett. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Info (All About Birds) Song Video (YouTube)
  • Has spread rapidly across North America since the 1960s
  • Distinguished from Mourning Dove by chunkier pigeon-like body and smallish head, dark collar, light stone color,  squared-off tail.   
  • Song is repetition of 3 cooed notes; call is a single harsh high-pitched “growl”, often given during display flight