Lowly dove reflects an ever-changing world

A few weeks ago birders spotted a white-winged dove in Bangor.

Besides that Stevie Nicks song, the first thing that came to mind was “ho-hum – not that interested in doves.”

I feel the same way about gulls – they’re so common, it’s hard for me to generate any enthusiasm about them. That’s silly, really, considering there are so many different kinds of gulls (and several types of doves) that it no doubt would improve my observational skills to learn them. It certainly would make me a better birder.

Then there is the rating factor; it seems not many people think highly of doves, especially since this family includes the rock dove – commonly known as the detested pigeon. They are also low on my list; I’d never get as excited about them as I would about hawks or warblers, for instance.

Plus, they are viewed as somewhat stupid. I once read an account of nest building by mourning doves. On a windy day the observer noted a pair attempting to build a nest. A common grackle couple was doing the same. After their carefully placed twigs got blown away, the grackles began taking their nesting material to the birdbath. They dipped the material in the water and had better luck getting it to stay in place.

The mourning doves never caught on and the wind continued to foil their attempts to start a nest.

White-winged doves are similar to mourning doves, which are widespread and common throughout the United States. Basic differences include the namesake white-edged wings, lack of spotting on the wings, a shorter, rounder tail, and a more uniform coloring overall than the mourning dove.

This did nothing to alleviate my apathy.

Upon reading up on the white-winged dove, however, I became intrigued. They rarely have been seen in Maine and almost never in the northern United States; their strongholds are in southern Texas, the southern tips of Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and in South America. They also are present from Louisiana (again, the southern tip) to Florida.

I am always interested to hear about birds that turn up in the “wrong” places, sometimes wildly outside of their normal range. This is the case here.

I faithfully referred to “The Birds of North America” series, and was even more intrigued. It turns out this dove expanded its range, due, researchers think, to “concentration of human habitation in urban areas, supplemental fossil-fuel heat sources, absorption and radiation of solar energy from asphalt and concrete, and backyard bird feeding.” The source goes on to say that white-winged doves have been spotted during winter at backyard feeding stations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

Whoa. What a lesson in humility. Even a lowly dove has something to teach me about the world and the changes we have wrought upon it.

Chris Corio, a volunteer at Fields Pond Nature Center in Holden, can be reached at fieldspond@juno.com