Where Do Mourning Doves Live? (Habitat + Distribution)

The humble mourning dove (Big seaweed) is one of the most abundant bird species in North and Central America. This famous bird has a large population and is widely distributed across the Americas, extending from Canada and Alaska to southern Mexico and small parts of northern South America.

So, where do mourning doves actually live?

Mourning doves live in the Americas, being most abundant in North and Central America, with isolated wandering populations in northern South America.These widespread birds have a range of 11,000,000 km² or 4,200,000 meters²including most of Canada, every state in the United States, most of Mexico, the Caribbean and Greater Antilles, Costa Rica, Panama, and the rest of Central America.

Many mourning dove populations are migratory, so most of Canada will only see the birds in spring and summer, while most of Central America will only see them in fall and winter.

In terms of habitat, mourning doves are very flexible and inhabit most open and semi-open grasslands, plains, bushes, and rural and semi-urban areas. They tend to avoid swampy areas or dense forests.

Of course, there’s still a lot to learn about this prolific bird – read on to find out!

Mourning doves are very mobile and occupy a range of different habitats

What is the distribution range of mourning doves?

In North America, the mourning dove’s range extends from southern British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario in southern Canada to the entire continental United States. Mourning doves can be found in every state in the United States except Hawaii.

Populations in Canada and the northern United States usually migrate in winter, so they are only seen in spring and summer. The central, coastal and interior populations of the United States are both permanent and floating, so they can be found year-round.

In Central America, mourning doves are found in nearly all of Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize, extending as far south as Costa Rica and northern Panama.

They are also found in Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Greater Antilles of the Cayman Islands, as far south as some islands in the Lesser Antilles, but mostly in Montserrat and beyond. There are no places in the south.

There are homeless people in Venezuela, Colombia and other parts of South America. Most populations in Central America are only present during fall and winter migrations and largely absent in spring and summer.

There are mourning doves in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii

What is the habitat of mourning doves?

Mourning doves have such a wide variety of environments and habitats that it’s hard to give an exact description!

Mourning doves generally prefer open areas or loose, scattered woodlands, but are highly adaptable and can be found everywhere, from temperate rainforests to semi-arid savannah plains. They have been found nesting in at least 55 species of trees and shrubs in North America, but sometimes prefer oaks, willows, and mature conifers.

However, mourning doves don’t always nest in trees—quite the opposite. For example, many nests in some areas of California and the West are built on the ground, especially in the absence of suitable trees or shrubs. Also, while they are uncommon in cities, mourning doves often nest in rural and suburban settlements.

Mourning doves generally avoid dense woodlands. Instead, they seem to prefer plains, grasslands, shrublands, marginal woodlands, or open woodlands. They are also largely absent in some coastal areas.

While mourning doves are not as adapted to urban environments as some birds are, urban populations are increasing in some areas.

Open woodlands are great places to watch mourning doves

Where do mourning doves nest?

Mourning doves tend to nest in trees or shrubs 5 to 15 feet above the ground. However, they are flexible and have no objection to nesting on the ground if need be.

Mourning doves happily nest on ground free of trees and shrubs, such as in desert or arid environments. In general, though, these birds prefer well-lit, open woodlands and meadows.

They dislike super dense woodlands and will avoid some coastal areas, swamps and swamps.

Closeup of a mourning dove in its natural habitat

How rare are mourning doves?

Mourning doves are not uncommon, with more than 200 million in the United States alone. The global population is estimated to be over 400 million. These charming pigeons are extremely common visitors to backyard bird feeders and country or suburban parks.

If you want to watch one, it shouldn’t be hard – as long as you’re in the US, southern Canada, or parts of Central America. In general, pigeons are common, and there are many that look like mourning pigeons, including turtles, collared and eared pigeons.

Mourning doves are common in feeding areas throughout much of the United States

Do mourning doves stay in one place?

Mourning doves are both sedentary and migratory. Many birds migrate in Canada and the northern US states of Montana, Washington, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine, and southward to southern California, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona and New Mexico.

In addition, many birds fly south to Central America, as far south as Panama.

Birds of much of the central and southern United States are sedentary, do not migrate, and remain in their breeding grounds year-round. As long as the pigeons can find enough food throughout the winter, they don’t necessarily need to migrate.

Mourning Doves are known for their prolific breeding behavior and have been recorded building 6 nests in one year!

Sedentary mourning doves in temperate environments do not always adhere to the traditional spring breeding season and mate most of the year. That’s part of the reason why the bird manages to keep numbers high, despite being a popular game bird with around 20 million shots a year.

A pair of mourning doves feeding on the ground

Where do mourning doves live in America?

Mourning doves are found in every U.S. state except Hawaii, including Alaska, where they breed in the Southeast. They are common in continental states but tend to migrate from the north to warmer regions of the United States and Central America.

Where do mourning doves live in Canada?

Mourning doves breed in the southern regions of most of the southern states of Canada, including Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba.

They are mostly absent from Canada during the winter as they migrate to the United States and Central America.

Mourning dove perched on a branch in spring

Where are mourning doves most common?

The mourning dove is a common bird in most of its wide range. There are more than 200 million people in the United States, and that could rise to 400 million or more across the Americas. Although about 20 million birds are shot each year as game birds, the population is stable.

You can find them in many parks, open woodlands, meadows and rural settings. So wherever you go in America, there’s probably a mourning dove nearby!

You’re most likely to see mourning doves during the breeding season, when they’re busy courting, gathering twigs to build nests, and feeding their young.

mourning dove in flight

Where are the mourning doves in winter?

Most mourning doves in Canada and the northern United States migrate annually to the central and southern U.S. states and Central America. Some migration journeys are short, measuring only a few hundred miles, while others are long, covering thousands of miles.

The birds winter as far south as southern California, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, Costa Rica, and elsewhere in Central America, extending into the Greater Antilles, the British Virgin Islands, and southern Panama.

Mourning Dover’s winter roost

Where do mourning doves live in the summer?

The mourning dove crosses most of Central and North America in the summer, from as far north as Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Ontario, and Alaska to the Caribbean and Central America.

While southern populations tend to migrate north during the summer months, some remain sedentary.