We have several types of doves in Florida, but the two most common ones that I see are the mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) and the common ground doves (Columbina passerina). Both are pretty little birds and they look somewhat similar in that both are a light brown with darker wing spots and speckles. The mourning doves are quite a bit larger with a dark beak and a long tail, while the ground doves are much smaller with reddish, orange beaks and shorter tails. In this photo, there is one mourning dove behind the two much smaller ground doves. Although both species are quite common here in central Florida and around my feeding station, I see many more of the ground doves since they are much more outgoing. The little ground doves strut around on the ground sometimes singly, sometimes in groups and aren’t overly frightened by much of anything. The mourning doves, on the other hand, are heard all the time, but it took them ages to come to eat and any other birds or the squirrels easily frighten them back up into the trees. Both types of these doves are fun to watch and fun to photograph and noting their similarities and differences is all part of that.

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