Advertisement

Advertisement

mourning dove

noun

  1. a dove, Zenaidura macroura, of North America, noted for its plaintive cooing.


mourning dove

noun

  1. a brown North American dove, Zenaidura macroura, with a plaintive song
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of mourning dove1

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
Discover More

Compare Meanings

How does mourning dove compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Discover More

Example Sentences

Downtown's Pershing Square supports mourning doves, Vaux's swifts, gopher snakes and exotic streaktails, a type of fly that feeds on aphids.

He had heard the woeful sounds of a mourning dove, but that was the wrong kind of pigeon.

“We see ducks down here. They see frogs and turtles, different birds like red wing blackbirds and mourning doves,” Tursi said.

Before Merlin, I’d always assumed the distinct “coo” I heard was from a mourning dove.

There are rock wrens, nighthawks, mourning doves and lark buntings.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


mourning cloakmourning iris