WhenToBird

Zenaida asiatica · Columbidae

When Do White-winged Doves Arrive in Florida?

Adult White-winged Dove
Photo: Ricard Busquets Reverte, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-winged Doves are in Florida all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of July (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by late August. In the quietest week (mid December) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Fall back byAug 22-31late August
FewestDec 15-21mid December

Best: the second week of July. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late August. Peak: on about 6.5% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.6% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.7% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.9% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.3% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.9% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.0% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.9% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.9% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.3% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.1% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.2% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.7% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.5% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.6% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.7% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.4% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.4% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.6% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.2% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.7% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.2% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.2% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.2% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.8% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.7% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. DeSoto CountyBest the second week of June · 29 checklists that week, 2,154 in all44%
  2. Polk CountyBest the second week of July · 619 checklists that week, 51,558 in all31%
  3. Highlands CountyBest mid June · 205 checklists that week, 15,281 in all29%
  4. Broward CountyBest the second week of July · 551 checklists that week, 57,530 in all26%
  5. Glades CountyBest mid November · 25 checklists that week, 6,182 in all23%
  6. Escambia CountyBest mid July · 257 checklists that week, 25,457 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Castellow Hammock PreserveMiami-Dade County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 1,035 in all95%
  2. Chapel Trail Nature PreserveBroward County, best late August · 28 checklists that week, 1,061 in all77%
  3. Green KeyPasco County, best late July · 56 checklists that week, 1,312 in all76%
  4. Pinewoods ParkMiami-Dade County, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 2,253 in all75%
  5. Plantation Preserve Linear ParkBroward County, best the second week of May · 58 checklists that week, 3,665 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the White-winged Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 6.4% of 94591 checklists7 am: 6.5% of 296183 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 319987 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 254830 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 209480 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 4.1% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January2.6%2.6%2.7%3.0%
February3.6%3.7%3.9%4.1%
March4.2%4.3%4.4%4.9%
April5.0%4.9%4.9%5.3%
May5.1%4.8%5.2%5.7%
June5.5%5.6%5.7%6.0%
July6.7%6.4%6.4%6.0%
August5.6%5.2%4.9%4.7%
September4.2%3.8%3.8%3.2%
October3.2%3.1%3.2%3.2%
November3.0%2.8%2.7%2.6%
December2.7%2.6%2.5%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: year-round, peaks late July
  • Mississippi: arrives late February, 3 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks early May
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid July

Common questions

When do White-winged Doves arrive in Florida?
White-winged Doves are in Florida all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of July (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by late August. In the quietest week (mid December) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do White-winged Doves leave Florida?
White-winged Doves never fully leave Florida: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late August, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a White-winged Dove in Florida?
The White-winged Dove is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 6.5% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are White-winged Doves seen most often?
By county, DeSoto County, Polk County, and Highlands County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-winged Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).