Birds of North America
Puzzle 05 · Around Homes and Gardens · Page 17 in print
Mourning Dove
Mourning Doves regularly swallow grit, or small gravel, which helps them digest hard seeds.
Jump to a word
The words
Columbidae
The family that includes this species.
Cooing
The characteristic low vocal sound.
Crop Milk
The pigeon milk fed by parents to young; a crop secretion.
Foxtail
A grass whose seeds are food for Mourning Doves.
Gizzard
The muscular stomach chamber where swallowed grit helps grind seeds.
Grit
Small gravel swallowed to help digest hard seeds.
Millet
A seed food offered at feeding sites.
Pigweed
An Amaranthus plant whose seeds are food for Mourning Doves.
Pointed Tail
The long pointed tail is a recognizable Mourning Dove field mark.
Ragweed
A plant whose seeds are eaten.
Squab
A name for a young dove.
Twig Platform
The simple nest structure.
White Eggs
The unmarked egg color.
Wing Whistle
The whistling sound of wings during takeoff.
Zenaida
The genus of this species.
Sources
- Mourning Dove: OverviewCornell Lab of Ornithology
- Mourning DoveNational Audubon Society
- Mourning DoveNC State Extension
- Mourning Dove fact sheetIndiana Department of Natural Resources
- Mourning Dove: IdentificationCornell Lab of Ornithology
- Mourning Dove: Life HistoryCornell Lab of Ornithology