The White -winged Dove is a bit more common it seems in Aldea in the summer. Santa Fe is in it’s northern-most summer range. In the winter they move on down a bit further south to the southern parts of New Mexico and Mexico proper where they are found year-round.
This particular dove was seeking the afternoon shade under one of our Honey Locust trees in our Aldea backyard as the temps are reaching 90+ these days in mid-July. Their preferred habitat includes open country with dense thickets of shrubs and low trees as well as in suburban and agricultural areas. Their range is expanding nation-wide and into parts of Canada.
Males and females are similar so I am not sure which sex this visitor was. White-winged doves are sometimes confused with Mourning Doves which are smaller and have long pointed tails. The Mourning Dove also lacks the distinct white wing patches and the white tail tip. This particular bird sat quite still for its close up.
A group of doves is known by many collective nouns: a “bevy”, “core”, “dole”, “dule”, and “flight” of doves.
Click on photos to enlarge.
No comments:
Post a Comment