Mourning Dove 159 
This genus contains two slightly differing subspecies, spread over 
North America and the West Indies respectively. 
Mourning Dove. Zenaidura macrura carolinensis. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 316—Colorado Records—Baird 58, p. 604; 
Allen 72, pp. 152, 159, 181; Aiken 72, p. 208; Henshaw 75, p. 431; 
Scott 79, p. 96; Tresz 81, p. 188; Stone 81, p. 45; Drew 81, p. 141; 
85, p.17; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 197 ; Beckham 85, p. 143 ; Morrison 
88, p. 189; 89, p.6; Kellogg 90, p. 87; Lowe 92, p. 101; 94, p. 267; 
01, p. 276; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 73, 203; Keyser, 02, p. 43; Dille 03, 
p. 74; Henderson 03, p. 234; 09, p. 229; Warren 06, p. 20; 08, p. 20; 
09, p. 14; Gilman 07, p. 153 ; Markman 07, p. 156 ; Rockwell 08, p. 161. 
Description.—Male—Above, including the middle tail-feathers, olive- 
brown, the wing-feathers dusky with a slaty-blue wash and the inner 
secondaries and scapulars with black spots; outer tail-feathers slaty 
with a median black bar, and tips of the four outer ones white ; head 
cinnamon-bluish on the occiput and nape, and a black spot below the 
ear-coverts ; sides of the neck irridescent pink ; below lavender-pink, 
becoming cinnamon posteriorly ; iris dark brown, skin round the eye 
bluish, bill black, legs red, drying yellowish. Length 12-25; wing 6-1; 
tail 6-0; culmen -6; tarsus -75. 
The female is a little smaller—wing 5-75, and the colour less bright ; 
a young bird lacks the iridescence and black spots, and has pale 
edgings to many of the feathers. 
Distribution.—North America from southern Ontario and British 
Columbia to Panama ;a summer resident north; a resident through- 
out the year south of about 36°. 
The Mourning Dove is a very abundant summer resident throughout 
Colorado, in the plains and up to about 7,000 feet. At higher altitudes 
it becomes much more scarce. It was found breeding at Breckenridge 
at about 9,500 feet by Carter, while Drew states that it occasionally 
wanders as high as 12,000 feet. 
It arrives from the south about the middle of April though often 
seen earlier, and leaves in September. A few birds doubtless winter 
in the State; Lowe saw a flock of forty on January 7th, near Beulsh, 
and Gale states that a certain number winter in Boulder co., while at 
Grand Junction it has been seen as early as February 26th, and as late 
as November 2nd (Rockwell). 
Habits—This Dove, also frequently known as the 
Carolina Dove and Turtle-Dove, is of very wide distribu- 
tion and seems readily to adapt itself to its surroundings. 
It is found everywhere, but is perhaps most abundant 
