BirdNote; Message of the Mourning Dove

BirdNote®

Message of the Mourning Dove

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

[Mourning Dove cooing]

The Mourning Dove was named for the male’s gentle voice. The dove’s mellow cooing, to us, may sound forlorn.

[Mourning Dove cooing]

But seeing a Mourning Dove evokes anything but sadness. An elegant, slender bird about the size of a robin, the dove is dressed in deerskin brown, dappled on the wings with a few black beauty marks. The male’s breast shimmers with iridescent pink, a fine complement to its bright pink feet – hardly a doleful image. And as the Mourning Dove walks across the lawn, we see that his long tail tapers to a fine point, a jaunty avian swordsman trailing his blade.

[Mourning Dove cooing]

Found in open habitats, along the forest edge and in suburbs, these handsome doves are a familiar sight – and sound – throughout much of North America.

[Mourning Dove cooing]

On a warm, lazy summer afternoon, the Mourning Dove’s voice seems to speak more of serenity than sadness and of a familiar, peaceful connection to nature.

[Crickets calling; Mourning Dove cooing]

Listeners support BirdNote. If you’re one of them, "Thank you!" You make these shows possible.

###

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Call of Mourning Dove recorded by W.R. Fish.

Crickets recorded by C.Peterson.

BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Chris Peterson

© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org July 2018 Narrator: Mary McCann

ID# 071106MODO MODO-01c