San Diego Year Bird #151: Common Ground-Dove

Common Ground-Dove. Borrego Springs, California. January 26, 2014. Greg Gillson.

At 6-1/2 inches bill to tail, these pudgy pigeons are shorter than White-crowned Sparrows.

They are found in dry, sandy, brushy or agricultural areas from South Carolina to southern California, south through Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil.

In San Diego County they are rather patchily distributed. In fall and winter stragglers may show up anywhere. They are found regularly in the Tijuana River Valley near the Mexican border. They are frequently encountered in the Anza-Borrego Desert, especially in the "country clubs" around Borrego Springs. These planned communities were built around golf courses that never got very many people to move in--even though the roads and lots are all laid out. But the water in the desert attracts many birds, including these diminutive doves.