Bird guide · Columbina passerina
Common Ground Dove
What the common ground dove eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Mostly year-round resident; some Southwest birds leave in winter.
- Size
- 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
- Eats
- seeds
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Florida, Arizona, Alabama
Food
What do common ground doves eat?
At feeders, common ground doves take seeds.
Walks on the ground picking up seeds, often in pairs; comes to feeders especially in the Southeast.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do common ground doves live?
Open bushy places in the southern states. By share of all bird sightings, common ground doves are most common in Florida (0.6%).
States where common ground doves are most common
- Florida0.6%
- Arizona0.1%
- Alabama0.1%
- Georgia0.1%
- Texas0.1%
- Mississippi0.02%
- California0.02%
- South Carolina0.02%
- Louisiana0.01%
- New Mexico0.00%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are common ground doves, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the common ground dove migrate?
Mostly year-round resident; some Southwest birds leave in winter.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are common ground doves, by month.
Identification
How to identify the common ground dove
Adults: Small, short-tailed dove with scaly chest and head and a pink bill base; rusty wings in flight.
Size: 6.5 in (16.5 cm)
Easily confused with
- Inca Dove – long tail, scaly all over
- Mourning Dove (juvenile) – larger, can look scaly
On camera
Getting the common ground dove on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Common Ground Dove: questions
What do common ground doves eat?
At feeders, seeds.
Do common ground doves migrate?
Mostly year-round resident; some Southwest birds leave in winter.. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do common ground doves live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Florida, Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Texas. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware.
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