WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Mourning Dove is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 27% in its quietest week (early November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 22-31late July
Quietest weekNov 1-7early November

Best: late July. Here all year. Peak: on about 50% of Michigan 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: 29% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 33% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 33% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 33% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 39% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 41% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 42% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 42% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 43% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 45% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 45% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 47% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 49% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 47% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 44% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 43% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 44% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 46% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 47% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 48% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 49% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 49% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 50% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 50% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 49% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 48% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 46% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 44% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 41% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 37% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 34% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 29% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 28% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 29% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% of 30908 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 Michigan 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest late July · 105 checklists that week, 4,675 in all83%
  2. Osceola CountyBest mid December · 78 checklists that week, 5,623 in all79%
  3. Isabella CountyBest the second week of August · 284 checklists that week, 23,321 in all76%
  4. Mecosta CountyBest mid June · 257 checklists that week, 11,248 in all74%
  5. Otsego CountyBest early December · 105 checklists that week, 7,286 in all74%
  6. Menominee CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 2,004 in all74%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Portage Creek Bicentennial ParkKalamazoo County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 474 in all98%
  2. Ives Road FenLenawee County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 407 in all97%
  3. Algonac State ParkSt. Clair County, best late July · 33 checklists that week, 1,486 in all95%
  4. For-Mar Nature Preserve and ArboretumGenesee County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 810 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (57% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 58% of 39298 checklists7 am: 57% of 120344 checklists8 am: 52% of 180109 checklists9 am: 45% of 171966 checklists10 am: 39% of 156332 checklists11 am: 34% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 31% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 31% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 31% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 32% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 36% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 42% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 48% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 48% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January29%33%33%34%
February33%35%39%39%
March41%42%42%43%
April45%45%46%47%
May49%47%44%42%
June43%44%46%47%
July48%49%49%50%
August50%49%48%46%
September44%41%39%37%
October34%29%28%28%
November26%28%28%29%
December33%33%32%32%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid July
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late July
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks early August
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks late July

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Michigan?
The Mourning Dove is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 50% of checklists at its peak (late July) and on 27% in its quietest week (early November).
When do Mourning Doves leave Michigan?
The Mourning Dove does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 27% of checklists in early November to 50% in late July.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Michigan?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in late July, on about 50% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Osceola County, and Isabella County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).