Wildlife - Species


Common Ground Dove

Species Specific Regulations

Doves - Common Ground Dove

Protected nongame: May not be harvested.

Complete hunting regulations.

Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina)

Ground Dove Wing

Description

  • Sexes similar
  • Small, chunky dove
  • Black-tipped orange bill
  • Gray-brown back and upperwings
  • Scaly appearance to breast and head
  • Black spotting on wing coverts
  • Cinnamon inner webs of primaries visible in flight and occasionally at rest
  • Cinnamon wing linings
  • Short tail is slightly rounded at tip
  • Tail is brown centrally, with black edges and white corners

Average Size

Length: 5.5 inches; approximate weight is between 2 to 4 ounces.

Preferred Habitat
Their range is throughout coastal plain – most common in outer coastal plain. Rarely in Piedmont. Feeds on grass seed and waste grain.

 

 

Publications and Literature

Field Planting Guide

Doves of South Carolina - Identification and Status. (Adobe PDF) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Columbia, South Carolina

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Michael W. Hook - Small Game Program Leader

SCDNR
P.O. Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202-0167
Phone: 803-734-3940
Fax: 803-734-3691

E-mail: HookM@dnr.sc.gov