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. The Mourning Dove will visit feeders, and nests in the fork of trees or shrubs, although sometimes on the ground. The female builds a fragile, shallow nest from twigs supplied by the male, eggs incubated by the pair for 14 days. Other doves found in the U.S. are the white-winged dove and the ground dove. They are not as common, nor as extensively hunted as the mourning dove.