WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in California?

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

The Mourning Dove is in California all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 25% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  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: 26% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 28% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 32% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 38% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 42% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 44% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 46% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 47% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 46% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 45% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 42% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 40% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 41% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 42% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 41% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 41% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 41% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 40% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 39% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 38% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 37% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 36% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 31% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 25% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 26% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 25% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yolo CountyBest early August · 895 checklists that week, 67,424 in all74%
  2. Sacramento CountyBest the second week of August · 1741 checklists that week, 121,767 in all72%
  3. Kern CountyBest the second week of May · 1531 checklists that week, 47,774 in all64%
  4. Merced CountyBest the second week of May · 252 checklists that week, 13,095 in all64%
  5. Kings CountyBest mid May · 89 checklists that week, 3,688 in all64%
  6. Stanislaus CountyBest mid June · 453 checklists that week, 30,240 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Portal ParkSacramento County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 1,614 in all100%
  2. WetlandsPlacer County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 774 in all100%
  3. The Nature TrailLos Angeles County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 2,309 in all100%
  4. Rancho Los Cerritos Historic SiteLos Angeles County, best the second week of June · 31 checklists that week, 1,133 in all100%
  5. Sycamore Canyon Open SpaceLos Angeles County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 456 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (52% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 53% of 186053 checklists7 am: 51% of 444086 checklists8 am: 45% of 535846 checklists9 am: 37% of 486061 checklists10 am: 29% of 411130 checklists11 am: 23% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 21% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 22% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 24% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 28% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 32% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 38% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 41% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January26%26%26%28%
February31%32%33%33%
March35%36%38%39%
April42%43%44%46%
May47%47%46%45%
June43%42%40%41%
July42%41%41%40%
August41%40%39%38%
September37%36%34%31%
October29%27%26%26%
November26%25%25%24%
December26%26%26%25%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: all year, most in summer, peaks mid May
  • Arizona: year-round, peaks early July
  • Oregon: all year, most in summer, peaks mid May

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in California?
The Mourning Dove is in California all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 25% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do Mourning Doves leave California?
The Mourning Dove does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 25% of checklists in mid November to 47% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in California?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 47% of California checklists.
Where in California are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Yolo County, Sacramento County, and Kern County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).