Bird guide · Zenaida asiatica
White-winged Dove
What the white-winged dove eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant
- Size
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Eats
- seeds
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- New Mexico, Texas, Arizona
Food
What do white-winged doves eat?
At feeders, white-winged doves take seeds.
Forages mostly on the ground; in deserts often feeds at the top of saguaro cacti.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do white-winged doves live?
Mainly a summer resident in the Southwest; Florida birds are mostly resident; regular on the Gulf Coast in winter. By share of all bird sightings, white-winged doves are most common in New Mexico (2.2%).
States where white-winged doves are most common
- New Mexico2.2%
- Texas2.0%
- Arizona1.7%
- Louisiana0.5%
- Mississippi0.4%
- Oklahoma0.4%
- Florida0.2%
- Alabama0.2%
- Kansas0.09%
- Nevada0.08%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are white-winged doves, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the white-winged dove migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are white-winged doves, by month.
Identification
How to identify the white-winged dove
Adults: Bulkier than a Mourning Dove with a shorter tail, big white wing patches and white tail tips.
Size: 11.8 in (30 cm)
On camera
Getting the white-winged 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
White-winged Dove: questions
What do white-winged doves eat?
At feeders, seeds.
Do white-winged doves migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Where do white-winged doves live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii.
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