The mourning dove is the most widely distributed game bird in the United States and is adaptable to a wide range 

 of habitat conditions. (Photo by Allen M. Pearson) 



The urban type (in Fort Collins) was more than 

 20 times more productive on a unit-area basis 

 than the foothills type, next in rank. Compara- 

 tive figures for the four types investigated, in 

 terms of doves fledged per 100 acres, are 57.3 for 

 urban, 2.7 for farmland, 8.0 for foothills, and 1.1 

 for short-grass plains. However, the very large 

 area occupied by all except the urljan type gives 

 them greater significance in total production than 

 implied by these figures. 



In the analysis of dove-I)anding data, prelimin- 

 ary estimates of recovery and mortality rates 

 have been derived for those States with sufficient 

 banding data: and determination and analysis of 

 the kill for the hunting States are now available 

 for use in more firmly establishing management- 

 unit boundaries. Continued research on trapping, 

 banding, aging, and sexing techniques was carried 



on in efforts to improve further tlie tools of dove 

 research. 



Three new technical dove connnittees were 

 formed during 1962. The activities of these new 

 committees in the Northeast, Midwest, and AVest- 

 ern areas of the United States, together witii 

 the long-established Southeastern Technical Dove 

 Committee, demonstrate growing interest in this 

 important migratory game species. 



Woodcock. — The annual status of woodcock is 

 determined from surveys of reproductive success 

 and breeding population levels. Age ratios ob- 

 tained in 1960 and 1961 from 20,000 woodcock 

 wings contributed by hunters from many States 

 and Provinces suggested no significant change in 

 reproductive success ( 1.8 young per adult female in 

 1960 and 1.9 in 1961). Singing-ground counts 

 made in 1961 and 1962 on 263 routes located in 



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