White-winged Doves (Zenaida asiatica) are one of the larger gray-colored dove species in North America and they are more at home in semi-arid and desert areas than Mourning Doves.
White-winged Doves were at one point in time found mostly in the Rio Grande Valley but they have spread into the Great Plains, along the south central Gulf coast of Florida and are now expanding nationwide and into parts of southern Canada.
White-winged Doves have a longer bill than Mourning Doves, their eyes are orange-red surrounded by a blue orbital ring and true to their name they also have a white leading edge to the wing.
I photographed both these birds at Fort De Soto County Park near the Bay Pier, this one was foraging in the leaf litter. The diet of White-winged Doves includes seeds, nuts, fruits and grains. They are typically ground feeders.
One of their calls is a raspy, drawn out ‘who-cooks-for-you’.
As these doves continue to expand their range I suspect it will not be long before I see them more often here in Utah.
Mia McPherson, OntheWingPhotography.com
Mia McPherson
Mia McPherson is a nature lover, wildlife watcher and an avian photographer. Mia first become serious about bird photography when she moved to Florida in 2004. Her recent move to the Salt Lake area of Utah was a great opportunity to continue observing their behavior and photographing them. With so many birds species there easily accessible it wasn’t long before she was hooked. By learning more about each species, she can anticipate their behaviour and create opportunities to obtain ever better images of those species.
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