Turtle Dove vs. Mourning Dove: What Are the Differences?

Doves are special and adorable soft-looking birds that are fun to play with and often represent world peace and love. While they can delight your mind, their constant cooing and droppings can be frustrating. This is the case with the turtle dove and the mourning dove, two species that sometimes appear indistinguishable. Nonetheless, we will make the differences between these cousin birds clear in this article, so read on to find out the differences between turtle and mourning doves.

Summary of Key Differences

	Turtle Dove	Mourning Dove
Family	Columbidae	Columbidae
Size	Length: 10-11 inches Weight: 0.26875-0.35 pounds Wingspan: 19-21.5 inches	Length: 8.9-14.2 inches  Weight: 0.28125-0.375 pounds Wingspan: 14.6-17.7 inches
Morphology	Slightly smaller than the mourning dove and has more colorations	Roundhead with tan coloration and bigger compared to the turtle dove
Habitat	Found all over Europe and in parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa	Mostly found in open or semi-open habitats in temperate parts of North America, including forest clearings, deserts, suburbs, farmlands, and prairies
Social Behavior	– Lives in isolation and in groups – Defends territory during mating season – Mates for life	– Lives in isolation and in groups – Defends territory during mating season – Has only one mate throughout its lifetime
Call/Sound	Soft, cooing murmur “tur tur”	“Perch-coo-oo”
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Predators	Birds of prey, large mammals, domestic cats, and humans	Raccoons, hawks, owls, squirrels, snakes, cats, and dogs

Key Differences

Although it seems like a herculean task to tell the difference between the turtle dove and the mourning dove, it is not an impossible feat to set these two flying creatures apart. These doves can still be differentiates by their size, morphology, appearance, social behavior, habitat, and voice or sound. Nevertheless, they both belong to the Columbidae family, which houses over 300 species of doves and pigeons. 

Size

The turtle dove is 10-11 inches in length,  0.26875–0.35 lbs in weight, and has a wingspan of 19–21 inches. On the other hand, the mourning dove is slightly bigger, having a length of  8.9 -14.2 inches, a weight of 0.28 – 0.38 lbs, and a wingspan of 14.6 – 17.7 inches. 

Morphology

While the turtle dove and the mourning dove are almost the same size and have similar features, there is still a difference in their morphology. Unlike the mourning dove which has a generic look, the turtle dove has noticeable differences in its more striking and beautiful look. Its wings have a warm cinnamon color and its neck is also marked on the side with black and white stripes. Asides from all these, the face of the turtle dove is rather colorful with bright-orange eyes and blue eyeshadow.

On the other hand, the mourning dove has a brown to tan coloration with black spots on the wings and white edgings in its black tail feathers. 

Habitat

The turtle dove is a migratory species found in most parts of Europe and Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. On the other hand, the mourning dove is found mostly in open habitats in temperate parts of North America, including forest clearings, suburbs, prairies, deserts, and farmlands.

Social Behavior

Usually, birds within the same family exhibit similar social behavior, and it is no different for the turtle dove and the mourning dove. In fact, these two seem to have very high similarities in social behavior. Both birds can live in groups and do well living a solitary life while also exhibiting territorial characteristics during the mating season.

The turtle dove and the mourning dove share similar nest-building instincts. The male from each dove species goes the extra mile to bring the twigs, grasses, pine needles, and other materials used in the nest building while females construct the nest themselves. However, in the mourning dove’s case, the nest-building process takes a unique facet as the female chooses a specific nest site from the numerous ones suggested by the male counterpart.

Call/Sound

The key to the turtle dove’s call is in its scientific name: Streptopelia turtur. The sound they make resembles the “tur tur” of the species name. They tend to roll the “r,” but each sound is equal in length. The turtle dove’s coo is a tell-tale aural announcement that summer is here.

The call or song of the mourning dove resembles a bit the sounds of an owl. It sounds like “perch-coo,” with the “coo” divided into two syllables: “coo-oo” and is often following by two or three louder coos. This call is the one sung primarily by unmated males. Paired males have a three-part call as they help with building nests: coo-OO-oo, and again similar to the “who who” of an owl, females will call “ohr ohr” as they incubate their eggs.

A loud whistling sound can also be heard as mourning doves take off and land. It’s believed that this happens to startle predators or warn other doves in the vicinity. At takeoff, mourning doves will sometimes clap their wings together.

Diet

Both doves are herbivores and feed on plants and seeds. The diet includes wheat, sunflower, milo, corn, and safflower for the turtle dove. It also consumes the fruits and seeds from plants like spurge, panic grass, bristlegrass, Mexican jumping beans, Chinese tallow, leather weed, saguaro, lime prickly-ash, brazil, privet, pigeonberry, and Ocotillo. On the other hand, the mourning dove eats cultivated grains, peanuts, wild grasses, weeds, herbs, and berries.

Predators

Unfortunately, the turtle dove and the mourning dove are not at the top of the food chain, so, by default, they are prey to apex predators. The turtle dove is usually hunted by birds of prey, large mammals, domestic cats, and humans, while the mourning dove, on the other hand, is hunted by raccoons, hawks, owls, squirrels, snakes, cats, and dogs and can be afflicted with several different parasites and diseases, including tapeworms, nematodes, mites, and lice. The mouth-dwelling parasite Trichomonas gallinae is particularly severe.