WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Washington?

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

Mourning Doves are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in late May (18% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back bySep 1-7early September
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by early September. Peak: on about 18% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.6% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.0% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.9% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.9% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.4% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.3% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.8% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.5% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.6% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.7% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.8% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.0% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.0% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.3% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.6% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.0% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.9% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.3% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.5% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Walla Walla CountyBest late July · 627 checklists that week, 35,829 in all63%
  2. Benton CountyBest mid August · 273 checklists that week, 23,565 in all58%
  3. Franklin CountyBest the second week of July · 277 checklists that week, 7,970 in all58%
  4. Asotin CountyBest late July · 82 checklists that week, 4,316 in all56%
  5. Adams CountyBest late August · 184 checklists that week, 4,574 in all49%
  6. Garfield CountyBest the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 1,130 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whitman Mission National Historic SiteWalla Walla County, best early August · 40 checklists that week, 1,992 in all95%
  2. Horn Rapids County ParkBenton County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 858 in all95%
  3. Gloyd SeepsGrant County, best early June · 23 checklists that week, 395 in all95%
  4. Mill Creek LakeWalla Walla County, best late July · 30 checklists that week, 1,725 in all94%
  5. Mcnary National Wildlife Refuge (south)Walla Walla County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 1,024 in all93%
  6. Bateman IslandBenton County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 1,967 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 20% of 56744 checklists7 am: 17% of 133294 checklists8 am: 13% of 184196 checklists9 am: 11% of 186303 checklists10 am: 8.9% of 177063 checklists11 am: 7.5% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 6.8% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 6.8% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 9.0% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 11% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 13% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January5.4%5.6%5.0%4.9%
February4.9%5.4%5.3%5.8%
March6.5%7.6%8.7%9.8%
April10%11%12%13%
May15%17%17%18%
June17%17%16%15%
July15%15%14%14%
August14%13%12%13%
September12%11%9.0%8.0%
October6.8%6.3%6.4%6.6%
November6.3%6.5%6.0%5.9%
December5.9%6.4%6.3%6.5%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early April, 2 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late April, 1 week later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Washington?
Mourning Doves are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in late May (18% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.
When do Mourning Doves leave Washington?
Mourning Doves never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early September, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Washington?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in late May, on about 18% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Walla Walla County, Benton County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).