WhenToBird

Zenaida asiatica · Columbidae

When Do White-winged Doves Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

White-winged Doves are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in mid July (9.6% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Fall back bySep 1-7early September
FewestNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid July. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by early September. Peak: on about 9.6% of Oklahoma checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.5% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.6% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.8% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.5% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.5% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.2% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.5% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.8% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.5% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.0% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.2% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.8% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.5% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.4% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.8% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.3% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.7% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.4% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.6% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.4% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.1% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.5% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.2% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.4% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.7% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% 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. Custer CountyBest mid June · 39 checklists that week, 2,696 in all65%
  2. Caddo CountyBest mid August · 17 checklists that week, 1,110 in all41%
  3. Comanche CountyBest late September · 152 checklists that week, 9,852 in all40%
  4. Pittsburg CountyBest the second week of November · 13 checklists that week, 603 in all32%
  5. Bryan CountyBest the second week of January · 38 checklists that week, 1,517 in all30%
  6. Greer CountyBest late April · 19 checklists that week, 390 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Myriad GardensOklahoma County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 911 in all87%
  2. CLO Lands (Kenton)Cimarron County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 329 in all46%
  3. Stars & Stripes ParkOklahoma County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 1,039 in all34%
  4. Lake Hefner (northeast)Oklahoma County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 807 in all31%
  5. Lake Hefner (Lansbrook Lake)Oklahoma County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 743 in all30%
  6. Carl Etling Public Fishing AreaCimarron County, best late May · 40 checklists that week, 497 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the White-winged Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.9% of 8353 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 24509 checklists8 am: 8.7% of 27848 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 25316 checklists10 am: 6.6% of 21161 checklists11 am: 4.9% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 3.4% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 6.0% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 5.9% 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
January5.0%4.9%4.5%4.6%
February5.0%5.8%5.6%5.6%
March5.8%6.5%6.4%7.5%
April6.4%6.2%6.3%6.5%
May6.5%6.8%7.5%8.0%
June7.2%7.8%8.2%8.5%
July8.4%9.8%9.3%9.7%
August9.4%9.6%9.4%7.1%
September6.5%6.2%6.3%5.4%
October4.7%3.6%4.2%4.1%
November3.2%3.6%3.6%3.7%
December3.9%3.4%3.5%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late November, 21 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid July
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks early May
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do White-winged Doves arrive in Oklahoma?
White-winged Doves are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in mid July (9.6% of checklists), and fall back by early September. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.
When do White-winged Doves leave Oklahoma?
White-winged Doves never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early September, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a White-winged Dove in Oklahoma?
The White-winged Dove is reported most often in mid July, on about 9.6% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are White-winged Doves seen most often?
By county, Custer County, Caddo County, and Comanche County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-winged Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).