White-winged Dove
Range Map*
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The Northward Expansion of the White-winged Dove in New Mexico along the Río Grande.

(Latest Revision: December, 2019)

The Dixon CBC began in 1997. However, the White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) was not observed on the count until 2010. When a species is new to a count, the Regional Editor requests a "Rare-bird Report" detailing the observation.

In preparing the report, I consulted CBC data for other count circles in New Mexico and realized that the northern edge of the range of this species had been slowly, but steadily moving northward in the Rio Grande valley for two decades.

That northern extension has continued. The number of individuals recorded on the Dixon CBC has continued to increase. More importantly, the species was recorded for the first time on the Orilla Verde CBC in Pilar north of Dixon in 2013, a count started in 2004.

The table below shows historical data from New Mexico Christmas Bird Counts along the Río Grande Valley. These changing northern limits of the year-round range are shown on the map at the right.

If you consult range maps in various field guides, you will find a great variation in the described breeding and wintering ranges. This is clearly a result of the rapidly changing distribution of the species. Range maps created before 1980 will show the year-round range reaching only about 50 miles into southern New Mexico (Just north of Las Cruces), with the breeding range extending another 10-20 miles north. Most maps produced closer to the turn of the century still show the year-round range barely reaching into New Mexico, but show the breeding range reaching as far north as Albuquerque.

This is the case for the original Sibley's published in 2000. However, when Sibley published his guide to the western birds in 2003, the range map had been updated to show the year-round and breeding ranges in Río Grande Valley to be identical.

When the Las Cruces CBC was begun in 1975, small numbers of wintering White-winged Doves were observed. As you can see in the data, by the 1990s many birds were over-wintering and by 2000 the year-round population had exploded into the tens of thousands.

The further expansion north is clearly shown in the data. Though the Albuquerque and Santa Fe counts have been active since the early 1960s, the first wintering White-wingeds were not recorded in Albuquerque until 1994 and in Santa Fe until 1998. As you can see, the first records in the Española CBC were in 2005. The Espanola count has been active since the 1950s.

There is a new Peterson's guide out now with recently updated range maps. The new map shows the Rio Grande valley year-round and breeding ranges as being the same and reaching as far north as Santa Fe. Additionally it shows a major northward expansion of the breeding range on the east side of the Rocky Mountains into southern Colorado with the year-round range on the plains reaching as far north as Clovis, NM.

What we appear to be witnessing is a range expansion being led first by migrants into new territory, followed by some over-wintering groups forming year-round breeding populations. In general, we know that the migration of birds is driven primarily by food. If there are changes in the distribution and/or migratory patterns of a species, it is likely that there are changes in food availability in the areas involved. If this is the case here, might it be related to changes in agricultural activity? Might climatic changes be involved as well?

Source of data: National Audubon Society (2019). The Christmas Bird Count Historical Results [Online]. Available http://www.christmasbirdcount.org [December 2019]

Wild Turkey in tree in Cañoncito
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Wild Turkey recorded on the Dixon count in 2007, 2009 and 2012!

Update (December 27, 2012): Wild Turkeys were recorded at two different locations on the 2012 Dixon Count. 14 were reported in Cañoncito and 5 more in Rinconada.

About 20 Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) spent the winter of 2007 in upper Cañoncito. There were other sightings in Apodaca, El Bosque and Embudo. One Turkey in El Bosque was regularly observed throughout the summer of 2008. However, by the winter they had left.

These birds usually live at higher elevations, but sometimes move to lower elevations, probably due to food shortages at higher elevations.

These birds usually live at higher elevations, but sometimes move to lower elevations, probably due to food shortages at higher elevations.

The turkey usually roosts at medium heights in cottonwoods. They feed early in the morning in agricultural fields and orchards. Later in the day they may be difficult to observe as they tend to disperse into the Piñon/Juniper.

See more local pictures of Wild Turkey.