When you think of doves and pigeons, chances are your mind goes straight to the familiar Rock Pigeon strutting along city sidewalks—or maybe a white dove released at a wedding. But there’s a lot more to this family than street smarts and symbolism. In Quebec, members of the Columbidae family include a variety of native and introduced species, each with its own unique voice, habitat, and flair.
From the soulful hoot-like cooing of the Mourning Dove to the flashy wing-claps of the White-winged Dove, doves and pigeons are more than just background birds—they’re deeply woven into both our ecosystems and our cultural history. Some, like the ubiquitous Rock Pigeon (Columba livia), were introduced centuries ago and have adapted brilliantly to urban life. Others, like the beautiful Band-tailed Pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), stick to forested mountain slopes and live far from human commotion.
You’ll also find surprising behavior among them: aerial displays, powerful navigation skills (pigeons are legendary for their homing ability), and even subtle sexual dimorphism if you know what to look for. Despite their soft, rounded appearance, these birds are built for endurance—many doves are long-distance migrants and strong fliers.
Find out about all the doves and pigeons in Quebec, listed in frequency of sighting according to sightings by birders submitted to www.ebird.org—from the familiar to the elusive. Whether you’re peering through binoculars in a pine forest or sipping coffee in a city park, there’s probably a member of Columbidae nearby, quietly cooing its way into your life list.
1. Mourning Dove
Mourning Doves are spotted all year in Quebec, mainly in the south of the province, and are recorded in 26% of summer and winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the province.
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 Quebec and are residents of the province all year. They appear in up to 13% of summer checklists and 20% 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 occasionally spotted in the south of Quebec all year but they are considered rare or accidental species in the province.
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. White-winged Dove
White-winged Doves are considered rare or accidental species in Quebec but they were spotted around Saint Sabine, Beauport, and Port-Cartier in 2022.
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 accidental species in Quebec. They are extremely rare in the province and have not been spotted in a number of years.
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. Common Ground Dove
Common Ground Doves are extremely rare in Quebec and are considered accidental species in the province. They have only been spotted around Manitou in 2017.
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 have only been spotted in Quebec once and it was a long time ago.
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.
