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How to Identify Birds: The Mourning Dove. The mourning dove nests in all 48 of the contiguous
United States. Spot one using a few easy-to-follow rules. You will need Binoculars and a field
guide. Step 1. Consider the bird's appearance through binoculars and compare it with the
pictures in your field guide. Mourning doves have plump bodies and long pointed tails,
short legs, small bills, and small heads. Step 2. Consider the bird's coloring. Mourning
doves are grayish-brown in color and have black spots on their wings and white tips
with black borders on their tail feathers. Step 3. Consider the bird's behavior. Mourning
doves fly rapidly using strong wing beats and may take flight or land suddenly while
stretching their tails behind them. Mourning doves are usually seen in pairs in summer.
Step 4. Consider the bird's habitat. Mourning doves are fond of fields and bare ground where
they forage for seeds, but may also be found sitting on overhead telephone wires. Although
some mourning doves winter in the northern parts of the U.S., most do not arrive until
mid-spring. Step 5. Consider the bird's call. The male mourning dove has a call that sounds
like a drawn-out, mournful lament. Did you know The mourning dove is the most frequently
hunted bird in North America.