
Over 75% of the CMU harvest was taken in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Of doves originat- 
ing in the United States and recovered in Latin America, 89% occurred in Mexico and 11% in Central 
America. Costa Rica seems to be the southward terminus for migrating doves from the United States. 
Immature mourning doves initiated southward migration first; they were followed by adult females 
and then adult males. Doves began to enter Texas 
before September, but the bulk of the population 
arrived later in September. The peak recovery period in Mexico was mid-October. 
Average annual survival rates of adult and immature mourning doves banded in the CMU were 53 
and 44% , respectively; average annual recovery rates were 1.5 and 2.0%. Doves banded in States with 
hunting seasons had lower survival rates than those banded in States without hunting seasons. 
The estimated proportion of total annual mortality (47% for adults and 56% for immatures) due 
to hunting was 9.9 and 11.2%, respectively. It was concluded that hunting has not adversely affected 
the mourning dove population in the CMU. 
The average fall flight population of mourning doves in the 48 conterminous States was estimated 
to be between 350 and 600 million birds. 
Background 
Unlike the passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) 
whose hordes probably numbered between 3 and 5 billion 
before its population collapse and extinction (Schorger 
1973), the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) has pros- 
pered with man’s taming and modification of the North 
American scene. Although the mourning dove has not 
matched the passenger pigeon in numbers, it has multiplied 
in the face of immense changes in land use arising from 
agricultural and industrial development and human inhabi- 
tation. The mourning dove is found throughout the United 
States in habitats ranging from deserts to pine forests. A 
highly adaptable and prolific species, it occurs compatibly 
with man and his developments. The mourning dove is 
known to vast numbers of North Americans, including 
people having no particular interest in wild birds. Beyond 
question, it offers more recreation in terms of hunter har- 
vest than any other resident or migratory game bird. More 
mourning doves are harvested in the United States than all 
species of waterfowl combined (Peters 1961), by a factor 
of 3 or 4. 
Management of mourning doves in the United States is 
primarily a Federal responsibility because of migratory bird 
treaties with various countries, including Canada and 
Mexico. These treaties are implemented by the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which recognizes that sport hunt- 
ing is a legitimate use of the migratory game bird resource. 
The Act also provides standards by which the Federal Gov- 
ernment determines whether and to what extent the hunt- 
ing of migratory game birds is to be permitted. Historically, 
State conservation agencies have played an important role 
in supporting and supplementing Federal migratory game 
bird management programs. Their activities have included 
research, establishment and enforcement of hunting regu- 
lations within the Federal frameworks, habitat acquisition 
and management, and information and education programs 
(U.S. Department of the Interior 1975). 
Thus, it was natural that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service and the Central Migratory Shore and Upland Game 

Bird Technical Committee embarked upon a cooperative 
preseason mourning dove banding program and a compre- 
hensive analysis of the resultant data. This report sum- 
marizes the findings of that study. 
Overview of the Mourning Dove 
Detailed information on the life history of the mourn- 
ing dove is available elsewhere (Hanson and Kossack 1962; 
Keeler 1977: and Madson 1978). Nonetheless, several key 
points deserve mention here. 
Distribution 
In the 48 conterminous States, the lower portions of the 
Canadian prairie Provinces, Mexico, and the Greater An- 
tilles, the mourning dove is a common breeding bird 
(Fig. 1). It has been estimated that the mourning dove is 
one of the most abundant birds in the United States 
(Robbins and Van Velzen 1969), perhaps reaching autumn 
population levels of over 500 million birds (U.S. Depart- 
ment of the Interior 1975). 
Two subspecies of mourning doves are recognized in the 
United States (Aldrich and Duvall 1958): Z. m. carolinensis 
generally occurs east of the Mississippi River and Z. m. 
marginella ranges from the prairie States westward. A zone 
of overlap southwestward from Michigan through Missouri 
‘nto eastern Texas contains an intermediate form of the two 
races (Fig. 2). 
Most mourning doves annually migrate south from their 
breeding areas to winter in the southern United States, 
Mexico, Central America, or the West Indies (Keeler 1977). 
Upon return to the breeding grounds in spring, doves are 
remarkably faithful to their nesting area of the previous 
year, sometimes using the same nest (Tomlinson et al. 1960; 
Harris 1961). Some subpopulations appear to be non-migra- 
tory and a few birds winter in the northern portions of their 
breeding range (Chambers et al. 1962; Hennessy and Van 
Camp 1963; Weber 1980). 
