The Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. It ranges from Central America to southern Canada, including offshore islands. Many individuals in northern areas migrate south to winter within the breeding range where January temperatures are greater than minus 12 Celsius (10 F). Habitats include various open and semi-open environments, including agricultural and urban areas. The species has adapted well to areas altered by humans. The bird is abundant, with an estimated population of 130 million birds. In many areas, the Mourning Dove is hunted as a game bird for both sport and its flesh. Its plaintive woo-oo-oo-oo call is common throughout its range, as is the whistling of its wings as it takes flight. The species is a strong flier, capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mi/h). Mourning Doves are light gray and brownish and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous, with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents care for the young for a time. Mourning Doves eat mainly seeds, including those of both native and introduced plants.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1543: King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr, his sixth and last wife, at Hampton Court Palace. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Parr)

1580: Ostrog Bible, the first Bible in Old Church Slavonic, was printed in Ostroh, Ukraine by Ivan Fyodorov. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrog_Bible)

1806: Sixteen German imperial states left the Holy Roman Empire and formed the Confederation of the Rhine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation_of_the_Rhine)

1862: The U.S. Army Medal of Honor was first authorized by the U.S. Congress. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor)

1975: São Tomé and Príncipe declared independence from Portugal. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe)

1979: The Gilbert Islands gained independence and became known as Kiribati. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribati)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. -- Henry David Thoreau (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau)