Mourning Dove

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

With luck. About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Dove sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 145 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

January and April. In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to November, the lowest months.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Mourning Dove?

Between 4 and 7 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mourning Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Cape Breton Highlands National Park the best place to see a Mourning Dove?

29th of 58. Of the 58 parks where we can rate Mourning Dove sightings, Cape Breton Highlands National Park ranks 29th at about 10%. The best odds are in Badlands National Park (United States, about 80%), Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 70%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 70%). All parks ranked.

Q: Where does the Mourning Dove sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Mourning Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (69 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Zenaida macroura

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

at Cape Breton Highlands National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

69 Verified sightings at Cape Breton Highlands National Park From 2019 to 2026

50,912 In all 58 parks

April Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

Challenge North American Backyard Birds North AmericaEasy

About the Mourning Dove

The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and it was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread North American birds and a popular gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure is due to its prolific breeding; in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods of two young each in a single year. The wings make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing, a form of sonation. The bird is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph).

Mourning doves are light gray and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning doves eat almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk by their parents.

In 1731, the English naturalist Mark Catesby described... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:02

Cuba · 2025

Call1:15

United States · 2021

Wingbeats0:10

United States · 2019

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 14 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~80%
2	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~70%
3	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
4	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~50%
5	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~50%
6	Los Haitises National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~50%
7	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
8	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
9	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
10	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
11	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
12	Irazú Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~30%
13	Everglades National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
14	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
15	Guadalupe Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
16	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	~30%
17	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~30%
18	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
19	Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
20	Big Cypress National Preserve	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
21	Zion National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
22	Jaragua National Park	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~20%
23	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
24	Cabo Pulmo National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
25	Cumbres de Monterrey National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
26	Grand Canyon National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
27	Padre Island National Seashore	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
28	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
29	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
30	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
31	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
32	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
33	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
34	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
35	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
36	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
37	Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park	🇯🇲 Jamaica	<5%
38	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
39	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
40	Celaque National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
41	Volcán Barú National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
42	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
43	Masaya Volcano National Park	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	<5%
44	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
45	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
46	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
47	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
48	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
49	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
50	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
51	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
52	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
53	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
54	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
55	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
56	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
57	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
58	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Mesa	🇺🇸 United States	~90%
2	Phoenix	🇺🇸 United States	~80%
3	Santo Domingo	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	~80%
4	Sacramento	🇺🇸 United States	~80%
5	New York City	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
6	Baltimore	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
7	Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
8	Philadelphia	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
9	Detroit	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
10	Washington	🇺🇸 United States	~70%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	Audubon Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
5	Maine Wildlife Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	ABQ BioPark Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	Hanover Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
8	Hogle Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
9	Akron Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	Santillana Zoo	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
11	World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	In captivity
12	Zoológico de Culiacán	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
13	Lindsay Wildlife Experience	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Museum of Life and Science	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity

Show all 14 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park

No species of the same family or order lives in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.

Larus smithsonianus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Junco hyemalis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Turdus migratorius

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Poecile atricapillus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Phalacrocorax auritus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Larus marinus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Spinus tristis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Setophaga coronata

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Zonotrichia albicollis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Melospiza melodia

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Vireo olivaceus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Dove sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 69 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 145 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

January and April

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Mourning Dove?

Between 4 and 7 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mourning Dove sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cape Breton Highlands National Park the best place to see a Mourning Dove?

29th of 58

Of the 58 parks where we can rate Mourning Dove sightings, Cape Breton Highlands National Park ranks 29th at about 10%. The best odds are in Badlands National Park (United States, about 80%), Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 70%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 70%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Mourning Dove sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Mourning Dove is recorded against all the birds logged in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (69 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Mourning Dove

About the Mourning Dove

Sounds

Recent sightings of Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park

American Herring Gull

Dark-eyed Junco

American Crow

American Robin

Black-capped Chickadee

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Black-backed Gull

American Goldfinch

Yellow-rumped Warbler

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Red-eyed Vireo

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

What time of day is best to see a Mourning Dove?

Is Cape Breton Highlands National Park the best place to see a Mourning Dove?

Where does the Mourning Dove sighting chance come from?