Species fact sheet by Global Register of Migratory Species - www.groms.de

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Birds in C & S North America do not migrate. Ringing studies demonstrated species resident at Berkeley, California; a study in Florida revealed that 99% of birds were sedentary, although small numbers dispersed to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Birds from more N latitudes may fly as far S as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica to winter; three birds ringed in South Dakota were recovered in Colima and Jalisco, Mexico, and in El Salvador, having migrated distances of 2900-4000 km. Birds migrate an average of 80-160 km per day, usually at low altitudes. Thousands have been reported, migrating in flocks of 5- 50 birds over mesquite in Sonora, Mexico; uncommon transient in Cayman Is; migrants have also been observed crossing Tioga Pass, California, at 3000 m. One study in Missouri indicated that males tended to winter farther N than females. Birds exhibit extraordinary site faithfulness: study in Minnesota showed 80% of marked doves returned to within 61 m of the previous year's breeding site and 50% of these bred within 15 m of previous year's site.   (del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J (eds), 1997)

• digitised by GROMS, after del Hoyo J A Elliott; J Sargatal (eds) (1997) - www.hbw.com,
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