Common Ground Dove

The Common Ground Dove is one of the smallest doves in North America, barely larger than a sparrow, and often overlooked as it forages quietly on bare ground in open scrub and field edges. It has a soft grayish-brown to pinkish-buff body with a distinctly scaly-looking pattern on the head, neck, and breast created by dark-edged feathers, a short square tail, and a stubby bill. In flight, the wings flash a warm rufous-chestnut color that is diagnostic and immediately separates it from all other small doves in its range.

Key field marks

• Very small size, close to that of a sparrow
• Scaly-patterned head, neck, and breast from dark feather edging
• Short tail and stubby, slightly down-curved bill
• Rufous-chestnut wing patches, conspicuous in flight

Similar species

Inca Dove (found in the southwestern US, a different region) is similarly small and scaly-patterned but has a longer, more pointed tail with white edges and lacks the bright rufous wing flash. Mourning Dove is much larger with a long pointed tail and no scaly pattern.

Habitat and Range

Common Ground Doves favor open, sparsely vegetated habitats such as scrub, weedy field edges, sandy coastal areas, and farmland with bare ground for foraging.

Range

The species occurs across the coastal and inland lowlands of the southeastern United States (from South Carolina and Florida west along the Gulf Coast to Texas), as well as the southwestern US in places, extending south through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Migration

Common Ground Doves are largely non-migratory, remaining resident within their range year-round.

Behavior

These doves usually forage in pairs or small groups on bare or sparsely vegetated ground, walking with a distinctive head-bobbing gait and flushing low and fast when disturbed, quickly dropping back into cover.

Voice

The call is a soft, repeated, rising "woo-oop" or "hoo-woo," given steadily and monotonously, often for extended periods from a low perch.

Feeding

They feed almost entirely on small seeds picked from the ground, occasionally supplemented with small insects.

Nesting and breeding

Nests are simple, flimsy platforms built low in a shrub, on a stump, or occasionally directly on the ground, typically holding just two eggs; pairs may raise several broods across a long breeding season.