WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Florida?

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

The Mourning Dove is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 55% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 32% in its quietest week (late November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 22-31late July
Quietest weekNov 22-30late November

Best: late July. Here all year. Peak: on about 55% of Florida 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. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 36% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 35% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 37% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 40% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 41% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 43% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 43% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 44% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 45% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 50% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 50% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 51% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 51% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 51% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 51% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 51% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 51% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 54% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 54% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 55% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 55% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 55% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 55% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 54% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 53% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 51% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 49% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 47% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 45% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 43% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 40% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 40% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 39% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 36% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 34% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 34% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 35% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 35% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. DeSoto CountyBest late May · 50 checklists that week, 2,154 in all83%
  2. Santa Rosa CountyBest late July · 194 checklists that week, 15,001 in all80%
  3. Hardee CountyBest early July · 24 checklists that week, 1,078 in all77%
  4. Charlotte CountyBest the second week of April · 1243 checklists that week, 40,485 in all76%
  5. Bay CountyBest mid July · 339 checklists that week, 19,554 in all73%
  6. Calhoun CountyBest the second week of September · 10 checklists that week, 570 in all72%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hal Scott Regional Preserve and ParkOrange County, best late June · 27 checklists that week, 812 in all100%
  2. Lake DestinySeminole County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 1,410 in all100%
  3. Lemon Bay Park and Environmental CenterSarasota County, best late August · 27 checklists that week, 1,621 in all100%
  4. Lemon LakeCharlotte County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 843 in all99%
  5. Lemon Lake (Lemon Creek)Charlotte County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 532 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (60% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 61% of 94591 checklists7 am: 60% of 296183 checklists8 am: 54% of 319987 checklists9 am: 45% of 254830 checklists10 am: 36% of 209480 checklists11 am: 31% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 28% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 30% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 32% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 37% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 42% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 44% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 48% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January36%35%36%37%
February40%41%42%43%
March43%44%45%48%
April50%50%51%51%
May52%51%51%52%
June51%51%51%52%
July54%54%55%55%
August55%55%54%53%
September51%49%47%45%
October43%40%40%39%
November36%34%32%32%
December33%34%35%35%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • South Carolina: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Florida?
The Mourning Dove is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 55% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 32% in its quietest week (late November).
When do Mourning Doves leave Florida?
The Mourning Dove does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 32% of checklists in late November to 55% in late July.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Florida?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in late July, on about 55% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, DeSoto County, Santa Rosa County, and Hardee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).