For the Love of Doves

Rock Doves in their natural habitat

Having grown up a city girl, the only doves I saw in my neighborhood were what we all called pigeons.  My early impressions of the huge flocks on telephone wires dropping “bombs” on the cars beneath, and pairs nesting on eave supports with homeowners below cursing at them, were not too positive.


But my attitude changed after I learned the reasons that these birds are so well adapted to city life: 

• Their native habitat is tall, rocky cliffs in Asia and North Africa - hence their real name is "Rock Dove"- and that life history means that they are well-suited for perching on building ledges as well as foraging on city streets and other hard surfaces; 

• Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphics confirm that Rock Doves were domesticated more than 5,000 years ago, then spread across a large region of the ancient world, and were purposefully brought from Europe to American cities during the 1600’s.  This long co-existence with humans means that their natural instinct to fear us is no longer strong. 

• Homing Pigeons, well-known for carrying messages over far distances, are a variety of the Rock Pigeon.  In fact, the U.S. Army Signal Corps used Rock Pigeons during World War I and II to carry vital strategic information that saved lives.  They can find their way home, even if released from a distant location blindfolded, by sensing the earth’s magnetic fields and cues based on the position of the sun.  Scientists also believe that Rock Doves may also use sound and smell to navigate.  Their amazing abilities and adaptations deserve our awe and respect even if they do sometimes irritate us, don’t you think?

Common Ground Dove in partial molt, showing red underwing feathers

But what really gives me a “lovey-dovey” feeling nowadays are Common Ground Doves, which are native to much of the southern U.S., Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.  Their Latin name of Columbina passerina means, “little dove sparrow”, because they’re small enough to be mistaken for sparrows while they forage for seeds underneath and around grassy clumps.  Oh, but when they take off in flight, the big flash of color from their rusty red under-wing feathers and the whirring sound of their wings will instantly grab your attention and make you want to look closer!  The pale pink-and-black scaled pattern on their neck and breast feathers is delicate and beautiful, their pink feet with black nails quite glamorous, and their dark bill with a pink base completes their “matching outfit”.  They’re round and soft-looking, and their two-note “woo-ot” call has also earned them the nickname of Moaning Dove.  Now I ask, can you blame me for being smitten with them? Ha ha!

Many years ago on one of our early visits to Arivaca, I remember driving into town and seeing the street packed with cars, and at least 30 people with binoculars standing in the driveway between Casino Rural and La Gitana.  We stopped the car and found out that they were looking at a pair of Ruddy Ground Doves, neotropical residents that had made a rare visit to this area.   People had flocked here (pun intended) from Tuscon, Phoenix, and beyond, just to catch a glimpse of them.   

Common Ground Dove

That was a very special sight for me too, but I must say that watching and listening to the flock of seven Common Ground Doves that have been spending part of each day in my garden this winter has been more special, much more personal, and simply enchanting. 









Photo credits:
Rock Doves by Andrew Dunn, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Common Ground Dove in molt by naturepicsonline.com, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Common Ground Dove by Alan Vernon, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license