Fall-Winter Habitat Use and Food Habits of Doves in Southwestern Oklahoma
Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) behavior, habitat use, and food habits were studied in southwestern Oklahoma during faIl-winter. Birds present during the September-October hunting season were summer residents and migrants. They formed large feeding flocks containing up to 1,000 birds, flew 3-12 km from night roosts to feeding sites, and fed in morning and late afternoon. These doves fed in wheatfields when waste grain was available; otherwise, they fed on haygrazer (sorghum x sudan grass), sunflower (Hetianthus sp.), and weed seeds. Doves day-roosted in ravines or uplands near the stock...
