1. Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Doves are an introduced species in Montana but they do not migrate and are residents here all year. They are recorded in 14% of summer checklists and 20% of winter checklists for the state submitted by bird watchers 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:
2. Mourning Dove
Mourning Doves are often spotted in Montana during the breeding season from April to September, but some also remain in the state all year. They appear in 25% of summer checklists and 3% of winter checklists.
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.
3. Rock Pigeon
Rock Pigeons are an introduced species in Montana and are residents of the state all year. They are spotted in up to 9% 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.
4. White-winged Dove
White-winged Doves are not very common in Montana but they are recognized as regularly occurring and were spotted around Roundup in 2023.
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.
5. Band-tailed Pigeon
Band-tailed Pigeons are not often spotted in Montana and the last recorded sighting was around Kalispell in 2012.
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.
6. Inca Dove
Inca Doves are considered accidental species in Montana, and according to records, they have not been spotted here for a long time.
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.
