Instead, it is a nutritious liquid produced by glands in the bird's crop. The chicks insert their bills down the parent bird's throat to eat the thick liquid. Mourning doves are popular game birds in some states but protected in others. In fact, more mourning doves are shot by hunters in the U.S. than any other game bird. Sexes are similar with small head and long, white-trimmed, tapered tail.
Plumage is olive-brown.
Body is sleek, with a dark, shiny patch below the ear, dull red legs, dark bill and pale-rosy underparts. Size is 11-13 inches. Its range is the continental U.S., southern Canada, and Mexico. Some doves are migratory, while others remain in the south during the entire year. They are found in fields, woodlands and residential areas.