The “2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation” indicated 1.5 million hunters participated in dove hunting, only slightly below 1.6 million who hunted ducks.

Mourning doves (Zenaidura macroura) are members of the pigeon family. They are one of the most popular and provide the largest harvest of any game bird in the United States.  Mourning doves are hunted in over 30 states and provide enjoyment to songbird enthusiasts.  Hunters harvest more than 50 million doves annually from a population estimated at over 450 million doves.  This migratory bird ranges from the northern United States to Mexico.  Many birds in the United States migrate southward in the autumn to winter in Panama, though some migrate a shorter distance and others do not migrate at all.  Mourning doves flock for much of the year, but are not colonial nesters.

The mourning dove gets its name from its mournful call.  The average mourning dove weighs four to five ounces.  Its coloration includes various shades of brown and gray with black spots on its back and wings.  The underside of the tail feathers are prominently tipped in white and have a black band going into light gray or buff. 

>> View the Mourning Dove in action.

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Male and female birds are about the same size and have pointed wings that meet underneath the body when in flight.  On close inspection, adult males can be distinguished from females by their prominent blue-gray feathers on the top of the head, a pinkish or rose-colored breast, and iridescent feathers along the sides of the throat.  The body length is about 12 inches with a wingspan of 12 to 14 inches.