Oooo, cooo, ohhh, ahhh, wahhhh.
Written down, there is little difference between the sounds of crying and the sounds of a dove.
Before I started reading anything about birds, I assumed the doves occasionally waking me up with their sad rooftop songs were “morning” doves.
I find it more fitting they’re named “mourning doves,” given their wallowing cry. Though, as mourning is just a final phase in the process of love, there is comfort in her song.
In the hot late summer in Washington, the mourning dove’s call can be found throughout the region. Their distinct voices also make it easier to recognize who’s eating those berries in your garden.
Two other species of doves are easy to mistake for the mourning dove, as was once dutifully pointed out to me after an error in The Chronicle. (Thank you, Boistfort resident Dave Fenn.)
White-winged doves and Eurasian collared-doves are extremely similar in size and color. The mourning dove, though, has very flashy blue eyeshadow and telltale spots.
The other two have identification clues in their names.
Learn more about the solemn local doves at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/id.
