What's the Difference Between a Pigeon and a Dove?
By Nick Lund
There are more than 350 bird species in the world in the family Columbidae, better known to use as pigeons and doves. They’re a remarkably varied group: simultaneously revered and reviled. Some species are among the most numerous on earth, others are rare and endangered. Some are drab, some are colorful. Some are big, others are small. Pigeons and doves run the gamut; but how do you tell them apart?
You start by narrowing things down. Of the 350 worldwide species, only about 12 are regularly found in the United States. Even then, unless you live in the extreme southern parts of Florida or Texas, there are only a handful of birds we need to talk about.
Scientifically speaking there is no difference between a pigeon and a dove. They’re all part of the family of chunky, small-headed birds that feed mostly on seeds and fruit. Historically, people have used “dove” to refer to smaller species in this group, and “pigeon” to refer to larger species, but that’s not really a helpful distinction anymore. We’ll have to go species-by-species, starting with the most common.
Species of Pigeons and Doves Found in North America
The Most Common Pigeons and Doves in America
The most common pigeons and doves in America are the Rock Pigeon and the Mourning Dove.
The Rock Pigeon is maybe the most famous bird in the country. Everyone knows it. You can’t walk down the street of any city without seeing these (mostly) gray birds strutting along the sidewalk looking for food or wheeling in flocks overhead. Many people by now know the story: Rock Pigeons were brought to North America from Europe in the early 1600s and have since spread from sea to shining sea.
The Mourning Dove may not enjoy “icon” status like the Rock Pigeon, but it’s doing just fine for itself. In fact, the Mourning Dove is much more numerous (the American Bird Conservancy estimates that there are 120 million Mourning Doves in the U.S. compared to about 8 million Rock Pigeons), and in fact may be the most numerous species in the country. They’re a subtle light brown and grayish color, and may be found in almost any habitat, from urban telephone wires to northern forests to deserts. Their name derives from the loud, melancholy cooing song they sing in spring and summer.
Pigeons Native to America
There are three native birds called “pigeons” in America: the Band-tailed Pigeon, the White-crowned Pigeon, and the Red-billed Pigeon. The most widespread is the Band-tailed Pigeon, a sort of off-the-grid cousin of the Rock Pigeon. Found year-round in the southeast and up into the Rockies and the West Coast in summer, Band-tailed Pigeons form large flocks in mountain forests. Our other two species, the Red-billed Pigeon and the White-crowned Pigeon, are rare and difficult-to-find residents of the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas and the Florida Keys, respectively.
Doves Introduced to America
There are several species of doves in America, in addition to the Mourning Dove. Several species, like the Eurasian Collared-Dove and the Spotted Dove, were introduced from other countries. Eurasian Collared-Doves are large and pale, with a black collar on their necks. They were brought to the Bahamas from Europe in the 1970s, but escaped from captivity and spread to the United States. They’ve spread across the nation in just a few decades, and today are common throughout the Southeast United States and across the Midwest and West. Spotted Doves were also introduced, from Asia, but today only exist in small populations in southern California.
Small Ground Doves
Less than half the weight of a Mourning Dove, three species of small ground doves inhabit the southern United States: the Inca Dove, the Common Ground Dove, and the Ruddy Ground Dove. The Inca Dove sports beautiful, scalloped plumage and can be found on lawns and in suburban habitats. Common Ground Doves are mostly plain brown, with black spots on their sides and red on the base of the bill, and are found in weedy and sandy soils. The rare Ruddy Ground Dove is reddish, as its name implies, and much more common in Mexico and further south.
Large Doves of the Southern United States
Finally, two larger species may be found in the southern parts of America: the White-winged Dove and the White-tipped Dove. The White-winged Dove is a similar size as a Rock Pigeon, but is brown with striking black and white wings seen when flying. Just like Stevie Nicks sings in “Edge of Seventeen,” the “White-winged Dove sings a song, sounds like she’s singing, ‘ooh, ooh, ooh.” The White-tipped Dove is also large and stocky, but, in America, is confined to the area around the lower Rio Grande River in Texas, where it walks quietly along the forest floor. This species has yet to appear in any lyrics from Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, or any other bands.