WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Mourning Doves are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early April, peak in early July (53% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 20% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakJul 1-7early July
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early July. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 53% of Oklahoma 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: 20% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 23% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 20% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 26% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 27% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 28% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 30% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 36% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 41% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 43% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 46% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 46% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 46% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 47% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 50% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 51% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 51% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 53% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 52% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 53% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 50% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 53% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 51% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 53% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 50% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 53% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 44% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 38% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 31% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 25% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 19% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 22% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 21% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adair CountyBest mid July · 15 checklists that week, 616 in all91%
  2. Choctaw CountyBest mid August · 11 checklists that week, 844 in all86%
  3. Jackson CountyBest late May · 66 checklists that week, 3,020 in all84%
  4. Custer CountyBest early September · 28 checklists that week, 2,696 in all84%
  5. Texas CountyBest early May · 51 checklists that week, 1,542 in all81%
  6. Washita CountyBest early May · 18 checklists that week, 404 in all80%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boomer Lake ParkPayne County, best the second week of July · 31 checklists that week, 3,723 in all90%
  2. Sanborn Lake ParkPayne County, best the second week of September · 37 checklists that week, 992 in all86%
  3. Thompson ParkTexas County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 333 in all85%
  4. Lake HefnerOklahoma County, best mid July · 21 checklists that week, 2,749 in all84%
  5. Boomer Lake Park (Hazen Lake)Payne County, best early June · 22 checklists that week, 597 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (50% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 58% of 8353 checklists7 am: 48% of 24509 checklists8 am: 42% of 27848 checklists9 am: 38% of 25316 checklists10 am: 34% of 21161 checklists11 am: 28% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 25% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 25% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 25% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 29% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 32% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 37% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 46% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 50% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January20%23%20%21%
February23%26%27%28%
March30%30%32%36%
April38%41%43%46%
May46%46%47%47%
June50%51%51%53%
July52%53%50%53%
August51%53%50%53%
September45%44%41%38%
October31%28%25%25%
November20%20%19%20%
December23%22%21%21%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early April, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late July
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late July
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Oklahoma?
Mourning Doves are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early April, peak in early July (53% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 20% of checklists.
When do Mourning Doves leave Oklahoma?
Mourning Doves never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 20% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Oklahoma?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in early July, on about 53% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Adair County, Choctaw County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).