Friday Backyard Bird Blogging: Mourning Doves - Zenaida macroura

These common birds are mourning doves, Zenaida macroura (click the pic to enlarge). I photographed them around the same time as the rest of my recent bird pictures, during the last snow several weeks ago. They are medium sized, grayish brown birds. The tops of their wings are scattered with black spots, they have long tails with white outer tail feathers. Their characteristic sounds can be heard here. Both of these sounds are very familiar to me but I have only associated the whistling sound made during flight with this bird. As for the classic and mournful cooOOoo-coo-coo call, I had no idea. I have heard it all my life, and sometimes even make the call myself because it is so familiar. I guess I just thought it was a ghost bird or something because I had no idea it was this dove until now. Oh well, you live and learn.

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