Sort of a Turtle Dove

This is our area's most common native dove/pigeon [1], the Mourning Dove, though it has a tenuous claim to the Turtle Dove (famous from The Twelve Days of Christmas song) name. While the true Turtle Dove is a somewhat distant relative that lives in Britain, the Mourning Dove has sometimes been referred to as either a Turtle Dove or a Carolina Turtledove. This suggests that it wouldn't be all that difficult to see some of the birds of song on a carefully planned walk:

  • Swans aren't common around here, though they're easier to find in other areas of the country.
  • Geese are all over the place.
  • Calling birds is pretty vague; if you awoke to birds singing, you could probably check them off your list.
  • French hens aren't really a species or breed, so I'd argue any live chickens you run across are good enough to cross them off your list. (Of course, we don't have wild chickens in New Jersey so you'd probably need to find someone who raises them.)
  • If you consider a Mourning Dove to be a Turtle Dove, Mourning Doves are among the most abundant wild birds in North America. It shouldn't be too difficult to spot 1.
  • Probably the most difficult to find would be a partridge; they aren't native to New Jersey. You might be able to find a Gray Partridge in parts of the Midwest.

May 18, 2023 at Willowwood Arboretum
Photo 292812621, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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