WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Mourning Doves are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in mid July (34% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 5.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid July. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 34% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.7% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.2% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.8% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.4% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.0% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.3% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 21% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 23% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 27% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 27% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 33% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 33% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 33% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 32% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.9% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.8% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.6% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.7% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.5% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.5% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.4% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 1,298 in all73%
  2. Stevens CountyBest the second week of July · 36 checklists that week, 2,839 in all72%
  3. Wilkin CountyBest early July · 26 checklists that week, 1,101 in all71%
  4. Pipestone CountyBest mid August · 47 checklists that week, 2,486 in all69%
  5. Norman CountyBest the second week of August · 10 checklists that week, 1,003 in all68%
  6. Renville CountyBest the second week of August · 50 checklists that week, 2,020 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sucker Lake Regional ParkRamsey County, best early July · 39 checklists that week, 4,040 in all87%
  2. Kabekona LakeHubbard County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 1,402 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (31% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 37% of 35775 checklists7 am: 28% of 90565 checklists8 am: 23% of 110612 checklists9 am: 19% of 106128 checklists10 am: 16% of 96131 checklists11 am: 14% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 12% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 12% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 12% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 14% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 18% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 23% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 27% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 28% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January6.3%6.7%6.2%5.8%
February5.4%6.0%6.3%5.6%
March7.0%9.3%10%14%
April17%21%23%26%
May30%30%27%27%
June28%29%30%32%
July33%33%34%33%
August32%30%29%26%
September24%22%18%15%
October13%9.9%7.8%6.0%
November4.8%5.2%5.6%5.1%
December6.7%7.5%7.5%7.4%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks late July
  • South Dakota: arrives mid March, 3 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Minnesota?
Mourning Doves are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in mid July (34% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 5.1% of checklists.
When do Mourning Doves leave Minnesota?
Mourning Doves never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Minnesota?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in mid July, on about 34% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Chippewa County, Stevens County, and Wilkin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).