White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiaticaOrder: COLUMBIFORMES Family: Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)

Codes: Common Name: WWDO Scientific Name: ZENASI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 177121

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Overview

White-winged Dove: Medium-sized, stout dove with gray-brown upperparts, gray underparts, and small, back crescent below eye. The wings are dark gray with broad white stripes. Tail is short and brown with white corners. Bill is gray. Legs and feet are red. Fast direct flight with rapid wing beats.

Range and Habitat

White-winged Dove: Breeds in the southwestern U.S. and southern Texas. Spends winters south of the U.S. or in small numbers on the Gulf Coast east to Florida. Preferred habitats include open country with dense thickets of shrubs and low trees as well as in suburban and agricultural areas.

Topo Map: Pigeon-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"who-cooks-for you", "hooo-hooo-hooo"

Interesting Facts

Although the White-winged Dove is most commonly found in Arizona and the southwest, its range is expanding nation-wide and into parts of Canada.

In Florida breeding occurs only in introduced populations.

A group of doves has many collective nouns, including a "bevy", "cote", "dole", "dule", and "flight" of doves.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

White-winged Dove

● Song: "who-cooks-for you", "hooo-hooo-hooo"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-winged Dove: Feeds on seeds, grains, and fruits; forages on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: White-winged Dove: Two creamy buff eggs are laid on a frail platform made of loose twigs set in a low bush. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: White-winged Dove: Mourning Dove is smaller, has long, pointed tail, and lacks distinct wing patches and white tail tip.

Flight Pattern

Rapid direct flight.

● Range & Habitat: White-winged Dove: Breeds in the southwestern U.S. and southern Texas. Spends winters south of the U.S. or in small numbers on the Gulf Coast east to Florida. Preferred habitats include open country with dense thickets of shrubs and low trees as well as in suburban and agricultural areas.

^BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies

^Population

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight5.4 Ounces

Pigeon-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America