Bird guide · Columbina inca
Inca Dove
What the Inca 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
- Size
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Eats
- seeds, grain
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Arizona, Texas, Louisiana
Food
What do Inca doves eat?
At feeders, Inca doves take seeds, grain.
Forages almost entirely on the ground and will come to feeders.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do Inca doves live?
Towns and farms of the Southwest. By share of all bird sightings, Inca doves are most common in Arizona (0.4%).
States where Inca doves are most common
- Arizona0.4%
- Texas0.4%
- Louisiana0.2%
- Mississippi0.06%
- New Mexico0.04%
- Nevada0.03%
- Alabama0.02%
- Oklahoma0.02%
- Arkansas0.01%
- California0.00%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are Inca doves, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the Inca dove migrate?
Mostly year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in November.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are Inca doves, by month.
Identification
How to identify the Inca dove
Adults: Small, long-tailed dove with a dark scaly pattern all over; rusty wings and white outer tail in flight.
Size: 7.9 in (20 cm)
Easily confused with
- Common Ground Dove – short tail with tiny pale corners
- Mourning Dove (juvenile) – also looks scaly; larger
On camera
Getting the Inca 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
Inca Dove: questions
What do Inca doves eat?
At feeders, seeds, grain.
Do Inca doves migrate?
Mostly year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in November.
Where do Inca doves live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware.