Editing Mourning collared dove

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Distinguish|Mourning dove}}
{{About|the bird species similar in appearance to ring-necked doves||Ring dove (disambiguation)}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Mourning collared dove
| image = Mourning Collared Dove (Streptopelia decipiens decipiens), Lake Ziway, Ethiopia.jpg
| image_caption = ''S. d. decipiens'' in [[Ethiopia]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Streptopelia decipiens'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22690477A93274340 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22690477A93274340.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Streptopelia
| species = decipiens
| authority = ([[Gustav Hartlaub|Hartlaub]] & [[Otto Finsch|Finsch]], 1870)
}}

The '''mourning collared dove''' or '''African mourning dove''' ('''''Streptopelia decipiens''''') is a [[dove]] which is a widespread resident breeding bird in [[Africa]] south of the [[Sahara]]. Despite its name, it is not related to the [[North America]]n [[mourning dove]] (''Zenaida macroura''). This species is common or abundant near water.  They often mingle peacefully with other doves.

==Description==
The Mourning Collared Dove is a medium sized, stocky pigeon, up to 32 cm in length. It is often black with pale brown wings, which are broad and pointed. The head is grey and the underside is pink, giving a pale grey shading on the belly. There is a black hind neck patch edged with white. The legs and a patch of bare skin around the eye are red.

When flying, it shows dark colored flight feathers and extensive white in the tail, the latter being a distinction from the similar but larger [[red-eyed dove]]. 

Sexes are similar, but immatures are duller than adults, and have scalloping on the body [[feather]]s.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
African mourning dove (Streptopelia decipiens perspicillata).jpg|''S. d. perspicillata'', [[Lake Baringo]], [[Kenya]]
African mourning dove (Streptopelia decipiens shelleyi).jpg|''S. d. shelleyi'', [[Gambia]]
Streptopelia decipiens -near Baringo Lake, Kenya -adult on nest-8.jpg|on a nest near [[Lake Baringo]], [[Kenya]]
</gallery>

==Behavior ==

The mourning collared dove's flight is quick, with the regular beats and an occasional sharp flick of the wings which are characteristic of pigeons in general.

===Diet and feeding===
Mourning collared doves eat grass seeds, grains and other vegetation. They are quite terrestrial, and usually forage on the ground. Unlike several other species in this genus, they are quite gregarious and often feed in groups.

===Sounds ===
The call from the Mourning Collared Dove is a deep, nasally call note that sounds along the lines of ''kuk-koooo-kuk.'' This call pattern is flat and considered a hoot. 

===Reproduction===
These birds typically mate monogamously and the timing in which they mate depends on location. For example, breeding occurs from December to June in Sudan, but September through October in Chad, and in other places breeding occurs each month. After breeding, they tend to build a stick nest in low tree branch or bush, preferably closer to the ground, often a [[mangrove]]. A clutch is the term for the two white [[egg (biology)|eggs]] that are laid. The eggs need to be incubated for fifteen days, which is done by both male and female.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* ''Birds of The Gambia'' by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, {{ISBN|1-873403-32-1}}


Audubon. “Eurasian Collared-Dove.” ''Audubon'', 9 Dec. 2024, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/eurasian-collared-dove

Kammin, Laura. “Do You Know Your Doves?” ''Outdoor Illinois Journal'', 21 Mar. 2025, outdoor.wildlifeillinois.org/articles/do-you-know-your-doves

Pappas, Janice. “Streptopelia Roseogrisea (African Collared Dove).” ''Animal Diversity Web'', animaldiversity.org/accounts/Streptopelia_roseogrisea/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.



==External links==
{{Commons category|Streptopelia decipiens}}
* Mourning collared dove - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/353.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds].

{{Taxonbar|from=Q113218}}

[[Category:Streptopelia|mourning collared dove]]
[[Category:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1870|mourning collared dove]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Otto Finsch|mourning collared dove]]