1. Mourning Dove
Mourning Doves are spotted all year in California, but they are more common during the breeding season. They are recorded in 42% of summer checklists and 29% of winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state.
Mourning Doves are graceful small-headed birds with plump bodies and long tails. They are a soft brown color with black spots on the wings. Males are slightly heavier than females.
- Zenaida macroura
- Length: 9.1-13.4 in (23-34 cm)
- Weight: 3.0 -6.0 oz (96-170 g)
- Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Mourning Doves are common over all of the lower 48 all year but may migrate after breeding from the north of the Midwest and southern Canada.
Mourning Doves can be seen perching on telephone wires and foraging for seeds on the ground in grasslands, fields, and backyards. They can also be found in open areas or woodland edges.
Mourning Dove call:
Attract Mourning Doves to your backyard by scattering millet on the ground or platform feeders. They will also eat black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts.
2. Rock Pigeon
Rock Pigeons are an introduced species in California and they are residents of the state all year. They appear in up to 12% of summer checklists and 15% of winter checklists.
Rock Pigeons are well recognized around towns and parks and are usually blueish gray with two black bands on the wing and black on the tail tip. They have iridescent throat feathers and orange eyes.
However, they can also be white, spotted, or red.
- Columba livia
- Length: 11.8-14.2 in (30-36 cm)
- Weight: 9.3-13.4 oz (265-380 g)
- Wingspan: 19.7-26.4 in (50-67 cm)
Rock Pigeons do not migrate and can be found in all US states, southern Canada, and the Pacific Coast to Alaska.
You can find Rock Pigeons in cities, parks, and backyards, especially if there is birdseed on the ground. Some cities have ordinances against feeding pigeons as they are considered pests.
Rock Pigeon Call:
Fun Fact: Rock Pigeons have an amazing ability to find their way home using the earth’s magnetic field.
3. Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Doves are spotted all year in California. They do not migrate and occur in 15% of summer checklists and 11% of winter checklists for the state.
Eurasian Collared-Doves are light brownish-gray, with white patches in the tail, and look very similar to Mourning Doves, but with a black half collar at the nape of the neck. They are also larger and with a square tail rather than pointed.
- Streptopelia decaocto
- Length: 11.4-11.8 in (29-30 cm)
- Weight: 4.9-6.3 oz (140-180 g)
- Wingspan: 13.8 in (35 cm)
Eurasian Collared-Doves are an introduced species that only arrived in the 1980s but now live across most of the United States.
You can find Eurasian Collared-Doves in most areas, including rural and suburban and they eat a wide variety of seeds and grain but also eat some berries and insects.
Eurasian Collared-Dove song:
4. Band-tailed Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeons are spotted in California all year but their numbers increase from April to June. They are recorded in 9% of summer checklists and 4% of winter checklists.
Band-tailed Pigeons are defined by their tail band and the shiny, scaly feathers on their necks.
Adult Band-tailed Pigeons are medium-sized birds whose heads and breasts are colored pinkish-purple. Some may appear grayish-purple, too. They have a white band next to the green, shiny, scale-looking feathers on their necks.
Their backs and wings are bluish-gray. Their bills are yellow with a dark tip. The upper half of their tails are dark gray gradually fading to a pale gray band. Their legs and feet are yellow.
Juvenile Band-tailed Pigeons are more bluish-gray overall compared to adults. They also lack the white crescent and the scaly feathers on their necks. Their backs and wings have a light scalloped pattern with dark wingtips.
- Patagioenas fasciata
- Length: 13 – 16 in (33 – 40 cm)
- Weight: 7.9 – 18.02 oz (225 – 515 g)
- Wingspan: 26 in (66 cm)
Band-tailed Pigeons range from southwestern Canada down to South America, predominantly on the west coasts.
You can find Band-tailed Pigeons in oak and pine forests with abundant acorns and berries. They are nomadic and follow where the food is so they may go out of their common range in search of food.
Band-tailed Pigeons mostly eat seeds, berries, and fruits which they pick off from the ground or in trees. They forage in flocks collecting grain seeds, wild fruits, acorns, and pine nuts. They drink water from natural springs and bodies of water with high mineral salts in the summer.
Band-tailed Pigeon calls:
Nests of Band-tailed Pigeons are built on top of sturdy tree limbs high above the ground. The nests are flat or saucer-shaped and made of intertwined twigs, needles, moss, and breast feathers. The female lays one or two eggs and both adults incubate the eggs for twenty days.
Attract Band-tailed Pigeons to your backyard by putting out seeds and planting berry bushes and fruit trees.
Fun Fact: In North America, there are two breeding grounds for the Band-tailed Pigeon. The first is in the wet forests of the Pacific Coast and the second is in the mountain forests of the Southwest.
5. White-winged Dove
White-winged Doves are usually spotted in the south of California during the breeding season but some also hang around all year. They appear in 1% of summer checklists.
White-winged Doves are pale gray-brown with a black line on the cheek and a white stripe on the edge of the closed wing, which is striking to see on the middle of their dark wing in flight. Males and females look the same.
- Zenaida asiatica
- Weight: 4.4-6.6 oz (125-187 g)
- Wingspan: 18.9-22.8 in (48-58 cm)
White-winged Doves breed along the southern border with Mexico and are resident in Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Those to the north of the range may move south towards the Gulf Coast or into Mexico for winter.
You can find White-winged Doves in deserts, dense, thorny forests, woodlands, and suburban areas. Their diet is mostly grain, fruits, and large seeds, and they forage on the ground.
White-winged Dove Call:
Attract White-winged Doves to your yard with sunflower, corn, safflower, and milo on platform feeders. Also, plant native berry-producing shrubs.
6. Common Ground Dove
Common Ground Doves do not migrate and are found along the south coast of California all year.
Common Ground Doves are the smallest doves in North America.
Male Common Ground Doves have grayish crowns, pinkish heads, necks, and upper breasts with a scaled pattern. Their bills are either pink or red with a dark tip. Their backs and wings are brown with some dark brown patches on the wings.
In flight, their reddish-brown underwings are more obvious. Their underparts are pinkish-brown or pinkish-gray. Legs and feet are also pinkish.
Female Common Ground Doves have a similar pattern but their coloring is more evenly grayish-brown.
- Columbina passerina
- Length: 5.9 – 7.1 in (15 – 18 cm)
- Weight: 0.92 – 1.41 oz (26 – 40 g)
- Wingspan: 11 in (27 cm)
Common Ground Doves live from Mexico to northern South America and the southern US states and the Caribbean.
You can find Common Ground Doves in dry and open areas with tall grasses or groves of trees, like forest edges, deserts, oak scrublands, and lake shores. They also inhabit residential neighborhoods, orchards, ranch yards, and farm fields.
Common Ground-Doves are voracious ground feeders. They continuously eat while moving on the ground. They primarily eat seeds from wild grasses and weeds and berries and fruits from shrubs and trees. They may also eat snail shells for their calcium needs during nesting.
Common Ground Dove calls:
Nests of Common Ground Doves may be on the ground or on bushes, low tree branches, stumps, and fence posts. Their nests are simple, shallow scrapes lined with grasses, rootlets, and pine needles. Nests in trees are constructed out of twigs or pine needles. The female lays one to three eggs and will incubate them for about two weeks.
Attract Common Ground Doves to your backyard using commercial bird seed, canary seed, buckwheat, sorghum, and other seeds. They feel comfortable when there are a few shrubs to provide cover and open space around their water source.
Fun Fact: Common Ground Doves feed “crop milk”, a secretion from their esophagus, to feed their young.
7. Spotted Dove
Spotted Doves are an introduced species in California but they are spotted in the south of the state all year.
Spotted Doves are originally natives of Asia but have found their way into Hawaii and Southern California.
Spotted Doves have pinkish or grayish heads. Their bills are black. Their eyes are reddish-brown. They have white spots on black feathers at the back and sides of their necks. Their upperparts are pale brown with dark brown edges, though some have dark brown feathers and grayish edges. Their tails are brown tipped in white. Their legs and feet are red.
Males and females are similarly colored but juveniles are duller than adults and do not have spotted necks.
- Spilopelia chinensis
- Length: 11.2 – 12.8 in (28 – 32 cm)
- Weight: 5.64 oz (160 g)
- Wingspan: 17 – 19 in (43 – 48 cm)
Spotted Doves range across Asia but they have been introduced to other regions including the United States.
You can find Spotted Doves around residential areas, particularly on lawns and gardens. In their native range, they are found in open woodland, scrub, and farmland. They don’t frequent dense forests.
Foraging for food on the ground is what Spotted Doves do. They may do it singly, or in pairs or if food is abundant, they forage as a group. They feed mainly on grass seeds, grains, fallen fruits, and seeds of other plants.
Spotted Dove calls:
Nests of Spotted Doves are loose platforms built from twigs, grasses, and roots. They may be located in trees or bushes, usually around 9 feet above the ground. In urban areas, nests may be on buildings and other structures. The female lays one or two eggs which both parents incubate for about two weeks.
Fun Fact: When Spotted Doves are disturbed, they fly straight up from the ground which can make them hazardous to aircraft when near airfields.
8. Inca Dove
Inca Doves are recognized as regularly occurring in California and are found in the south of the state all year.
Inca Doves are small and slender birds that are as comfortable in human surroundings as they are in the desert.
Inca Doves are generally tan, sandy brown, or brownish-gray all over, enabling them to blend in with their desert-like environments. Their feathers have darkened tips that give them a scaled pattern.
They have dark bills and buffy underparts. Their rusty red wing feathers are more obvious during flight. They have rounded tails with white outer tail feathers.
Males and females and juveniles and adults are very similar. The main difference is that adults have dark red eyes while juveniles have pale yellow.
- Columbina inca
- Length: 6.5 – 9.1 in (16.5 – 23 cm)
- Weight: 1.1 – 2.0 oz (30 – 58 g)
- Wingspan: 11.2 – 12.6 in (28.5 – 32 cm)
Inca Doves mainly live in Mexico and Central America but they are also found in southern US states.
You can find Inca Doves in dry, open areas like deserts and scrublands. They are also at home in urban environments like cities, towns, parks, and farms especially if they have shrub cover, scattered trees, and accessible water sources.
Inca Doves forage for food mostly on the ground but also frequent bird feeders. They normally eat seeds from grains, weeds, and grasses. They also need to drink water daily so they visit pools, dripping faucets, and eat moist fruits on cacti.
Inca Dove calls:
Nests of Inca Doves are often found in trees and shrubs up to about fifty feet above the ground. In urban sites, they may nest on utility poles, houses, and other buildings. Both parents work together in building the nest out of twigs, grass, leaves, and strips of bark.
They line the nests with grass and feathers and over time, the nest also becomes stronger from their excrement.
Though they build their own nests, sometimes they also reuse old nests left by Northern Mockingbirds, Mourning Doves, and Cactus Wrens.
The female lays only two eggs but both parents take turns in incubating them for as many as thirteen to fifteen days. When they hatch, they are fed “pigeon milk” exclusively for the first few days. After twelve to sixteen days, the young leave the nest.
Attract Inca Doves to your backyard by offering black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, and nyjer seeds.
Fun Fact: Inca Doves huddle together in a pyramid formation when they feel cold. Pyramids can contain up to twelve birds.
9. Oriental Turtle-Dove
Oriental Turtle-Doves are extremely rare in California and are considered accidental species in the state. They were last spotted around Palo Alto in 2022.
Oriental Turtle Doves have a wide distribution range with at least six named subspecies. They are considered vagrants in North America.
Oriental Turles Doves have grayish-blue foreheads and pinkish-brown crowns. Their eyes are reddish-brown and their bills are grayish. Their breasts and bellies are pale pinkish-brown. There are black and white silvery-striped patches on the sides of their necks.
Their backs and wings are dark brown with orangey edges giving them a scalloped or scaly pattern. Their tails are brown and wedge-shaped. Their legs and feet are dark red.
- Streptopelia orientalis
- Length: 11.8 – 13.7 in (30 – 35 cm)
- Weight: 5.64 – 9.87 oz (160 – 280 g)
- Wingspan:
As their name would suggest Oriental Turtle Doves are usually found in Asia, but there are occasional sightings in Canada and the United States.
You can find Oriental Turtle Doves breeding in well-wooded but open habitats. They may also stay within cultivated fields, flooded agricultural lands, rural gardens, and urban areas. They favor lowland forest and boreal and moist shrubland environments.
Oriental Turtle Doves usually eat seeds. They particularly like grains, cereals, wild seeds, green shoots, and herbs.
Oriental Turtle-Dove calls:
Nests of Oriental Turtle Doves are placed at mid-canopy height to avoid predation. Nests are built by both parents with the males bringing the materials, like twigs and sticks, and the females constructing the nest. The female lays two eggs and they take fifteen to sixteen days to hatch.
Fun Fact: The Japanese name for Oriental Turtle Doves is “Kiji-Bato” which literally means “Pheasant Pigeon”.
10. Ruddy Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground Doves are accidental species in California. They are extremely rare and have last been spotted around San Bernardino and San Diego in 2020.
Male Ruddy Ground Doves are aptly named for their general ruddy (reddish) coloring. Their heads and necks are gray. Their bills are grayish. They have rufous bodies with dark brown patches on the wings.
Females have paler coloring. They are more grayish-brown compared to males and their coloring is even throughout their bodies. Their wings are brownish and have the same dark patches.
- Columbina talpacoti
- Length: 6.7 in (17 cm)
- Weight: 1.7 oz (47 g)
- Wingspan: 11 in (27.9 cm)
Ruddy Ground Doves range from the southern United States to Uruguay in South America.
You can find Ruddy Ground Doves in scrub and humid open and semi-open areas. They are also seen in cultivated lands and human environments like villages and urban centers.
Ruddy Ground Doves forage on open, bare ground for seeds, snails, and insects.
Ruddy Ground-Dove calls:
Nests of Ruddy Ground Doves are usually built in forked branches of trees or shrubs that are about one to two meters above the ground. Nests are usually surrounded by vegetation as protection. Both parents build shallow-cup nests out of straws, sticks, and roots.
The female then lays one to three eggs and both parents share in incubating their eggs for twelve to thirteen days. It takes another twelve to fourteen days for the young to fledge.
Fun Fact: Ruddy Ground Doves are monogamous and build a strong pair bond. They sit together on branches and share mutual preening behavior.
11. Zebra Dove
Zebra Doves are non-native species in California and they have only been spotted around Piute Ponds in 2017 and Lawrence Moore Park in 2019.
Zebra Doves are also known as “barred doves” or “barred ground doves” and are recognizable because of their series of soft, staccato cooing notes.
Zebra Doves are generally brownish-gray with black and white barring on their backs and wings. Their faces are bluish-gray with blue eyerings. Their underparts are pinkish with black bars on the sides of the neck, breast, and belly. Their bills are bluish and their legs and feet are purplish.
- Geopelia striata
- Length: 7.87 – 9.0 in (20 – 23 cm)
- Weight: 1.76 – 2.11 oz (50 – 60 g)
- Wingspan: 9.44 – 10.23 in (24 – 26 cm)
Zebra Doves are native to Southeast Asia but they have been introduced to other regions.
You can find Zebra Doves in scrubland, farmland and open country. They are also seen in parks and gardens in urban and suburban areas. While Zebra Doves are native to Southeast Asia, they have been introduced to many islands in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
Zebra Doves forage for grass and weed seeds on bare ground. They also eat insects and other small invertebrates. They typically look for food on their own or in pairs.
Zebra Dove calls:
Nests of Zebra Doves are platforms of leaves and grass. Both parents build the nest in a bush or in the branches of a tree. They may also construct nests on window ledges in urban settings. The female lays one to two eggs and they are then incubated by both parents for thirteen to eighteen days.
Fun Fact: Cooing competitions are often held annually in Thailand to find the bird with the best voice.
