

The noise is called a wing whistle, and it’s part of the Mourning Dove’s natural alarm system.
MOURNING DOVE SOUND FREE
The air rushing through these special feathers makes them vibrate and create sound (kind of like a kazoo). From Urban Nature Store, you can buy Mourning Dove Bird Call online in Canada with CDN pricing, price match guarantee, 45-day returns and free shipping over. When the scientists played the recordings later for other birds, they noticed that the “alarm” recording caused the birds to flee. When a Mourning Dove takes off or lands, it flaps its wings quickly.


The doves that took off alarmed produced stronger, faster wing whistles.Įven though Mourning Doves almost always make this noise when they take off, there is a slight distinction in sound. Adults have black spots on their wings and a slight iridescence at the nape of the neck. The beak is black, and the legs are orange. Mourning Doves are the most frequently hunted species in North America. When taking off, their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying. Their soft, drawn-out calls sound like laments. Mourning Doves perch on telephone wires and forage for seeds on the ground their flight is fast and bullet straight. Its plumage is brownish gray with a buff-colored belly and wings of light gray. A graceful, slender-tailed, small-headed dove that’s common across the continent. It has a long tail that tapers to a point. Seasonal occurrence Resident Breeding Non-breeding Passage Uncertain 191 foreground recordings and 2367 background recordings of Zenaida macroura. External sites may use a different taxonomy. Later, they compared those recordings with the sound of doves frightened away by a kite shaped like a hawk, one of the dove’s natural predators. General Description The Mourning Dove is the most slender of Washingtons pigeons and doves. Wikidata Note: Xeno-canto follows the IOC taxonomy. In an experiment published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, australian scientists recorded doves taking off in routine flight. When one bird gets frightened and takes off, the sound of its wings acts like a signal for the other birds to watch out for predators. The male mourning dove is known to be the one who makes the cooOOO-wooo-wooo-wooo sound that has been associated with the species. The noise is called a wing whistle, and it’s part of the Mourning Dove’s natural alarm system. The male mourning dove seems to be the more dramatic of the sexes as its activities, particularly during the mating season, distinguishes it from its female counterpart. The air rushing through these special feathers makes them vibrate and create sound (kind of like a kazoo). It’s actually caused by special feathers on their wings! When a Mourning Dove takes off or lands, it flaps its wings quickly. Have you ever heard a Mourning Dove make a strange screeching noise (when you get to its focal species page, click on Wing whistle from flushed bird to listen ) as it takes off or lands? Where does this noise come from? Why does it happen?įirst of all, what makes the sound? Surprisingly, it isn’t the bird’s voice. But sometimes they can really make a racket! Debbie Oppermann Mourning Doves are known for their gentle cooing sounds.
