Across North America
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Open country, towns, farmland· 12 in / 30 cm
"A soft, sad coo-OO-oo at dawn — easily mistaken for an owl."
The story
The mournful call is actually the male's love song. Pairs produce 'crop milk' to feed their young — one of only a handful of bird species that do.
Conservation
Abundant, though hunted in some states.
One small thing you can do
Scatter a small handful of millet on the ground — they prefer to feed below feeders.