Wildlife - Species
Species Specific Regulations
Doves - Common Ground Dove
Protected nongame: 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
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