Bird guide · Geopelia striata
Zebra Dove
What the zebra dove eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident (introduced)
- Size
- 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
- Eats
- small seeds
- Feeds
- ground
- Most common
- Hawaii, California
Food
What do zebra doves eat?
At feeders, zebra doves take small seeds.
Forages on bare ground or short grass, scurrying with rodent-like movements.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do zebra doves live?
Hawaii (introduced in 1922). By share of all bird sightings, zebra doves are most common in Hawaii (6.0%).
Season
Does the zebra dove migrate?
Year-round resident (introduced). 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 zebra doves, by month.
Identification
How to identify the zebra dove
Adults: Small dove with fine barring, a blue-grey face and bare blue skin around the eyes.
Size: 8.5 in (21.5 cm)
On camera
Getting the zebra 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
Zebra Dove: questions
What do zebra doves eat?
At feeders, small seeds.
Do zebra doves migrate?
Year-round resident (introduced). Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do zebra doves live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Hawaii, California. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado.