Wildlife - Species
Species Specific Regulations
Doves - Common Ground Dove
Protected non-game: May not be harvested.
Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina)
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
Attracting Doves Legally. (Adobe PDF) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Columbia, South Carolina
Doves of South Carolina - Identification and Status. (Adobe PDF) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Columbia, South Carolina
South Carolina Dove Hunting Guide. (Adobe PDF) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Columbia, South Carolina
Some of the files above are provided in the Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open these files and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site.
Billy Dukes - Small Game Project Supervisor
SCDNR
P.O. Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 734-3886
Fax: (803) 734-6020
E-mail: dukesb@dnr.sc.gov