data from each State. This-was done by multiplying the average 
number of doves heard calling per route in each State by the 
estimated area of dove habitat (in square miles) in the State 
to obtain a breeding population index value. These index 
values from each State were then added together to obtain the 
properly weighted breeding population index for the combination 
of States. This weighting procedure recognizes differences 
between States, both in dove density and in the amount of 
habitat. Dove habitat area was estimated in the 1958 Mourning 
Dove Newsletter and is listed in table l. 
Randomization of dove-call routes 
In order that the data on dove population density shall 
be representative of the breeding dove population of each 
State, random selection of dove census routes is desirable. 
The present management routes were, in some cases, selected 
in areas of high-density dove populations and do not yield 
representative measurements of the breeding dove populations 
throughout the entire State. 
Randomly selected dove-call routes were first selected 
and run in the States of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee during the 1959 
dove census. In 1961 the States of Arizona, California, Florida, 
Maryland, and Virginia also established and ran randomly selected 
dove census routes. 
In 1963, in addition to the regular management routes, 
random routes were selected and run in the States of Idaho, 
South Dakota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and 
Minnesota. These random routes will be run again in 1964, 
and the comparable data will be incorporated into the 1964 
Mourning Dove Status Report. 
Long term trends 
A base year was selected for the purpose of showing long- 
term trends in a State's breeding population index. Annual 
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