A
nationwide mourning dove banding program has been
helping biologists monitor population trends of the
species while also providing interesting stories of the
movement and longevity of this migratory game bird.
The banding program began in 2003. The information it
provides, combined with more obtained from the examination
of wings of harvested doves, is used to estimate the number of
doves in the nation and the age structure and productivity of
the population.
That information, as well as hunter and harvest data gathered
through the Harvest Information Program since 1999, has been
used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a series of
Mourning Dove Harvest Strategy plans, with the most recent
approved in 2017. These plans have been used by the states to
set harvest and bag limits within the frameworks established
by the Service.
The dove population is declining, but only slightly, in the
central part of the country, and nationwide was estimated at
249 million prior to the 2018 hunting season and considered
healthy. Since the banding program began, the only change to
Nebraska's dove season has been an increase in the possession
limit from 30 to 45, in 2015.
Mourning doves breed from southern Canada into Mexico,
nesting in habitats ranging from trees to grasslands and
crop stubble. They have benefited from urbanization and
development and are abundant in cities. Those found in colder
A mourning dove trapped in Nebraska receives a metal leg band as part of a nationwide monitoring program.
Dove Banding
Story and photos by Eric Fowler
42 Nebraskaland • August-September 2020
