[Birdtalk] Blue Mourning Doves

[Kristin Purdy]

Brenda,

Your blue Mourning Doves are likely adult males. Even though most field guides only show one adult Mourning Dove and label it as such, the sexes can be distinguished by color of their plumage and bare parts, especially during breeding season.

I've used the following information from Cornell's Birds of North America Online (subscription service) to distinguish between the sexes of adult pairs that frequent my yard and out in the field at nest sites:

The adult males show powder or turquoise blue orbital skin, continuing toward the bill. Females show greenish in the same areas and the young are grayish.

In addition, color of the plumage varies by sex and age. The males show a bluish tinge to the crown and nape feathers and a pink iridescent cast to the neck, throat, and upper breast. Females tend to be grayish or olive-tinged in the areas where the males are bluish, although some females might show pink iridescence on the neck. Hatch year young tend to look mottled brown due to feather edges of a different color than the base tan and should be missing the dark spot or streak below the ear coverts that adults show.

Finally, adults tend to have pink tarsi and toes whereas young doves' tarsi and toes are bright red. 

Perhaps the blue doves are attendant daddies watching over their fledged young.

Kris
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Brenda Kidman 
  To: birdtalk at utahbirds.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 3:00 PM
  Subject: [Birdtalk] Blue Mourning Doves


  The last few days we have had so many babies in the garden, begging for food from the parents.  What a lovely time of year in South Weber.

  We have been seeing some mourning doves that have a decided blue cast to their feathers, esp. around the eyes and bills.  Is this common?  Does this mean they are young?  We haven't seen them begging for food but they do seem to be watching and learning from the other doves.

  Happy Birding,
  Brenda



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