WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult male Mourning Dove
Photo: Texas Bird Family, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mourning Dove is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 22-31late July
Quietest weekDec 15-21mid December

Best: late July. Here all year. Peak: on about 50% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 24% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 26% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 31% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 35% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 34% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 37% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 38% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 44% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 44% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 43% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 39% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 36% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 42% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 46% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 49% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 48% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 50% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 50% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 50% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 50% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 49% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 48% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 44% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 39% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 38% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 24% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 23% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 23% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 25% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 21% of 6404 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Arkansas that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest late July · 35 checklists that week, 1,258 in all89%
  2. Arkansas CountyBest mid July · 15 checklists that week, 1,686 in all84%
  3. Desha CountyBest mid June · 11 checklists that week, 756 in all83%
  4. Ashley CountyBest mid July · 10 checklists that week, 484 in all83%
  5. Clay CountyBest mid August · 30 checklists that week, 871 in all80%
  6. Drew CountyBest mid May · 19 checklists that week, 720 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crain LakeSebastian County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 1,284 in all98%
  2. Upper PondBenton County, best the second week of August · 61 checklists that week, 2,250 in all95%
  3. Giles PondScott County, best early August · 26 checklists that week, 1,214 in all89%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (48% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 54% of 10807 checklists7 am: 46% of 27761 checklists8 am: 40% of 30943 checklists9 am: 33% of 26975 checklists10 am: 28% of 21989 checklists11 am: 24% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 25% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 25% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 26% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 30% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 35% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 39% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 42% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January24%27%24%23%
February26%26%31%33%
March35%35%34%37%
April38%38%41%44%
May44%43%39%36%
June36%36%42%46%
July49%48%50%50%
August50%50%49%48%
September44%39%38%36%
October30%27%26%26%
November24%23%24%23%
December23%23%25%21%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late July
  • Oklahoma: all year, most in summer, peaks early July
  • Kansas: all year, most in summer, peaks mid July
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Arkansas?
The Mourning Dove is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid December).
When do Mourning Doves leave Arkansas?
The Mourning Dove does not leave Arkansas: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in mid December to 50% in late July.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Arkansas?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in late July, on about 50% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Grant County, Arkansas County, and Desha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).