WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Idaho?

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

Mourning Doves are in Idaho all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in mid May (40% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 14% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestOct 22-31late October

Best: mid May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 40% of Idaho 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: 15% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 15% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 14% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 39% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 42% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 39% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 37% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 36% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 35% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 38% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 35% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 37% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 37% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 39% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 37% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 36% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 36% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 34% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 29% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 25% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Payette CountyBest the second week of July · 89 checklists that week, 2,860 in all75%
  2. Minidoka CountyBest the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 1,365 in all69%
  3. Nez Perce CountyBest early July · 156 checklists that week, 10,708 in all68%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest late July · 145 checklists that week, 5,319 in all67%
  5. Canyon CountyBest late July · 537 checklists that week, 31,704 in all66%
  6. Gooding CountyBest early August · 15 checklists that week, 3,207 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hulls Gulch Reserve (Highlands)Ada County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 394 in all98%
  2. Eagle Island State ParkAda County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 1,077 in all98%
  3. Fort Boise Wildlife Management AreaCanyon County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 1,235 in all94%
  4. Camas National Wildlife RefugeJefferson County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 540 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (39% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 40% of 9122 checklists7 am: 39% of 22204 checklists8 am: 36% of 38672 checklists9 am: 32% of 38930 checklists10 am: 26% of 37338 checklists11 am: 21% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 17% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 17% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 18% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 20% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 24% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 27% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 32% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 36% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January15%15%14%14%
February15%16%18%18%
March20%19%20%21%
April23%22%25%30%
May38%39%42%39%
June37%35%36%35%
July38%35%37%37%
August39%37%36%36%
September34%29%25%20%
October18%16%14%13%
November15%15%14%17%
December18%17%17%19%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives early May, 1 week later than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives late April, in the same week than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives early April, 3 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Idaho

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Idaho?
Mourning Doves are in Idaho all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in mid May (40% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (late October) they are still on about 14% of checklists.
When do Mourning Doves leave Idaho?
Mourning Doves never fully leave Idaho: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 14% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Idaho?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in mid May, on about 40% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Payette County, Minidoka County, and Nez Perce County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).