Inca Doves and the Common Ground-Dove can be found year-round in both rural and urban areas of the Imperial Valley. The Common Ground-Dove has a very short tail with pinkish bill - while the Inca Dove has a longer tail with white edges and a dark bill. Inca Doves also have a "scaled" or "scalloped" appearance (see photo at left) on their back. Ground Doves are NOT legal to hunt - even during dove-hunting season like the larger Mourning Dove and White-Winged Dove, which are also found here.

If you are interested in learning more about this bird online - I recommend you start with the Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/infocenter.html

They present photographs, songs, identification tips, maps, and life history information for North American birds - including the Common Ground Dove and Inca Dove

OTHER OUTSIDE LINKS FOR THIS BIRD:

Natural History and Habitat Use - Common Ground Dove information from the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center's "Forest and Rangeland Birds" Web page. They also have a page for the similar Inca Dove.

The following "WAV" format sound file is used by permission and copyrighted by Doug Von Gausig of Sedona, Arizona, as part of "The Sounds of Nature" Web site at www.naturesongs.com:

http://users.sedona.net/~dougvg/inca1.wav - Inca Dove's Lament