The mourning dove is a familiar sight across North America. These birds are abundant and widespread, inhabiting diverse environments from southern Canada to Central America. While many people observe them year-round in their local areas, a significant portion of the mourning dove population undertakes extensive migratory journeys. This migratory behavior allows them to adapt to seasonal changes in weather and resource availability.
Timing of Their Migratory Journeys
Mourning doves embark on their southward migration during late summer and early fall, typically from mid-August through October. The departure is often a gradual process, with younger birds initiating their journey first, followed by adult females, and finally adult males. The return journey northward, known as spring migration, generally occurs from late winter to early spring, with birds typically moving back to breeding territories between March and May. For example, in Oklahoma, spring migration is most prominent in March as birds arrive to breed or pass through to more northerly regions. The precise timing of both fall and spring migrations can vary annually, influenced by local weather patterns and specific geographic location.
Environmental Cues for Migration
Changes in daylight hours, known as photoperiod, are the primary signals that prompt mourning doves to migrate. As fall approaches, the shortening days serve as an internal cue, signaling their southward movement, while lengthening days in spring trigger their return to northern breeding grounds. Temperature fluctuations also play a role; dropping fall temperatures prompt doves to seek warmer climates, and rising spring temperatures indicate suitable conditions. Food availability is another significant factor; as natural food sources like seeds and grains become scarce in colder northern regions, doves are motivated to move to areas where food is more abundant. This reliance on seasonal cues rather than immediate weather events helps them anticipate and respond to broader environmental shifts.
Geographic Differences and Resident Populations
Mourning doves are classified as partial migrants; not all individuals or populations undertake long-distance journeys, and some populations remain year-round residents, particularly in milder climates like the southern United States. Migratory mourning doves typically travel shorter distances. Birds breeding in the northernmost regions, such as Canada, may journey thousands of miles south to wintering grounds in southern Mexico or Central America. However, doves breeding in the central and southern U.S. might only migrate a few hundred miles, or not at all. This variation in migratory distance and timing is influenced by their breeding location, with northern populations exhibiting more pronounced migratory behavior.