THE GROUND DOVE 



By T. GILBERT PEARSON 



Cfje Rational iSCjitfociation of ^ububon ^ocittitH 



EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 101 



A dainty little pedestrian is the Ground Dove. One may meet it almost 

 anywhere, in the gardens, fields, or the quiet streets of Florida towns. Its legs 

 are very short and it moves with elevated tail and a queer bobbing of the 

 head, but with a grace and dignity that are both quaint and very charming. 

 It is the smallest member of the Pigeon family in North America, measuring 

 6^ inches from bill- tip to tail- tip. 



Unlike the Inca Doves of Texas and the Southwest, they never sit with 

 others on a wayside limb, like a row of little brown dummies, and unlike the 

 Mourning Dove they seem never to gather in large flocks. Rarely are as 

 many as eight or ten seen at a time, and when this happens the birds are 

 usually brought together by their common interest in an abundant food supply. 

 Usually they are seen in pairs, although in the mating season it is no uncom- 

 mon sight to see three together. 



The note of the Ground Dove is a soft, cooing, mournful sound, which in 

 many localities has given it the name of 'Mourning Dove.' The call, often 

 repeated, issuing from the depths of an orange tree or the sheltered limb of a 

 live oak, is one of the characteristic bird-notes that is borne to one's ears in 

 that subtropical land. 



The gentle nature and appealing appearance of the Ground Dove have an 

 imusual effect on the mind of the average Florida negro. To him this is one 

 bird that should not be molested. I have often been warned by dusky field 

 hands of the risk one would run should he harm a Ground Dove. These eager 

 hunters, who will unhesitatingly shoot Meadowlarks, Flickers, Robins, or other 

 birds that may chance to come within their range, are loth to fire on this semi- 

 sacred bird. To their minds it is certainly 'bad luck' to kill one. 



The Ground Dove's food consists largely of small seeds which it gathers 

 in the garden, on the lawn, by the roadside, in the field, and other places where 

 weeds or grasses are found. Naturally many insects are also picked up in their 

 travels, particularly in the spring and summer. Small wild berries also are 

 consumed. So far as known they never adversely affect the interests of man- 

 kind, even in the slightest degree, and wherever found they are protected by 

 statute and by the still stronger law of public sentiment. 



Although a terrestrial bird when feeding, it does not hesitate to light upon 

 fences, trees, and buildings. Often they may be seen sitting on the tops of 

 barns, farmhouses, or dwellings in the towns, and from these elevated perches 

 they send forth their gentle cooing notes which the world may hear and enjoy. 



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