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Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Mourning Dove full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Mourning Dove illustration was completed on 12.12.09. I had drawn a pair of Morning Doves for the book I illustrated - 101 Ways to Help Birds by Laura Erickson - but I decided I needed a good drawing of a single Mourning Dove. I was mostly unaware of the subtle, but lovely coloration of the dove, with it's light and dark blues that I tried to show in the illustration. The drawing is based on a photo by Warren Lynn.

Information about the Mourning Dove:

The Mourning Dove is a member of the Columbidae (dove) family. It is also called the Western Turtle Dove or Rain Dove. It is one of the most abundant and widespread birds in North America. It is also a popular game birds, with several million being taken each year. It is found throughout the entire United States, north into Canada and south into Mexico and Central America. It prefers open and semi-open habitats such as urban areas, farms, prairie, grasslands and lightly wooded areas. Mourning Doves feed primarily on seeds, and are commonly found near any birdfeeders offering a suitable meal.