| The Common Ground Dove is one of the few species that North Carolina has lost as a breeder in the past few decades. However, historically, the species was numerous northward only to South Carolina. In the 1960's and 1970's, small numbers bred along the immediate coast (mainly on islands) northward to Carteret. Sadly, since about 1980, no such breeding has taken place, and now there are only occasional sightings coastally and elsewhere (none from 2007 - 2010). Factors in the decline likely involve a combination of predation by cats and perhaps other mammals, losses of eggs and nestlings to fire ants, and continued habitat loss of maritime thickets to development. However, the species is confiding, and typically nests near man; thus, the species often fares well in lightly settled coastal areas. When it was resident in North Carolina, the species was generally found in sandy areas close to vegetation, such as margins of maritime forests and thickets, dunes, and coastal yards. Elsewhere, strays can appear most anywhere in open country, but usually where sandy and with some cover.
Note that the hyphen between the words "Ground" and "Dove" was removed in June 2019 by the AOS (American Ornithological Society). |