WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Connecticut?

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

The Mourning Dove is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 52% of checklists at its peak (mid July) and on 26% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 15-21mid July
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: mid July. Here all year. Peak: on about 52% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  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 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 28% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 34% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 40% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 41% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 42% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 43% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 42% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 44% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 46% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 49% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 50% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 48% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 48% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 50% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 50% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 50% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 50% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 51% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 52% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 52% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 52% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 51% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 51% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 49% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 48% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 43% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 35% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 32% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 32% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 33% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Windham CountyBest mid July · 322 checklists that week, 19,034 in all59%
  2. New Haven CountyBest mid July · 1766 checklists that week, 139,721 in all57%
  3. Tolland CountyBest late July · 624 checklists that week, 39,004 in all56%
  4. Fairfield CountyBest the second week of August · 1582 checklists that week, 139,848 in all56%
  5. Litchfield CountyBest the second week of August · 1107 checklists that week, 69,766 in all54%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest mid July · 474 checklists that week, 39,919 in all52%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cove HarborFairfield County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 818 in all98%
  2. Brooksvale StreamNew Haven County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 167 in all98%
  3. Glastonbury MeadowsHartford County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 683 in all94%
  4. Beard Cove (historical)New Haven County, best early July · 108 checklists that week, 8,925 in all92%
  5. Quinebaug Fish HatcheryWindham County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 1,048 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (58% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 58% of 33657 checklists7 am: 57% of 62964 checklists8 am: 51% of 70645 checklists9 am: 42% of 64870 checklists10 am: 35% of 58827 checklists11 am: 31% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 30% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 31% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 33% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 35% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 40% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 48% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 47% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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%28%26%
February29%34%40%41%
March40%42%43%42%
April44%46%47%49%
May50%48%47%48%
June50%50%50%50%
July51%52%52%52%
August51%51%49%48%
September45%43%41%39%
October37%35%35%34%
November32%32%32%31%
December33%32%33%29%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Connecticut?
The Mourning Dove is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 52% of checklists at its peak (mid July) and on 26% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Mourning Doves leave Connecticut?
The Mourning Dove does not leave Connecticut: it is reported all year, from 26% of checklists in mid January to 52% in mid July.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Connecticut?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in mid July, on about 52% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Windham County, New Haven County, and Tolland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).