No, you cannot have a mourning dove as a pet. Mourning doves are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to possess one without a specialized permit, and those permits are never issued for personal pet ownership.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 703 – Taking, Killing, or Possessing Migratory Birds Unlawful If you want a dove as a companion, domesticated species like ringneck doves and diamond doves are legal and widely available.
Why Mourning Doves Are Off-Limits
Under 16 U.S.C. § 703, it is illegal to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, barter, transport, or ship any protected migratory bird, along with any part, nest, or egg.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 703 – Taking, Killing, or Possessing Migratory Birds Unlawful The word that matters for pet keepers is “possess.” Simply having a mourning dove in your home is a violation, no matter how the bird got there.
People often assume the law can’t apply because mourning doves are everywhere. There are roughly 346 million of them in the United States, and they are the most heavily hunted migratory game bird in North America.2U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)3U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Dove Hunting and Baiting Abundance is beside the point. The MBTA protects entire categories of migratory birds, not just rare ones, and mourning doves are on the list. A state hunting license, where dove seasons exist, is not a possession permit either. Taking a bird under a regulated hunt is a different legal act from keeping a live one at home.
The prohibition also reaches parts of the bird. Keeping a mourning dove nest, egg, or feather without a permit is a violation.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 703 – Taking, Killing, or Possessing Migratory Birds Unlawful The only narrow allowance is that you may destroy a truly empty nest with no eggs or chicks inside, as long as you don’t keep it.4U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Bird Nests
What Happens If You Get Caught
Keeping a mourning dove as a pet is a federal misdemeanor. Conviction carries a fine of up to $15,000, up to six months in jail, or both.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 707 – Violations and Penalties; Forfeitures Most cases in this category involve people who rescued a baby dove and never released it, or someone who assumed a common bird couldn’t be protected.
Penalties escalate to a felony if someone knowingly captures a migratory bird with intent to sell, or actually sells or barters one. A felony conviction carries a fine of up to $2,000 and up to two years in prison. Traps, nets, vehicles, and other equipment used in commercial violations can also be forfeited to the federal government.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 707 – Violations and Penalties; Forfeitures
Is There Any Permit That Would Let Me Keep One?
No. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues more than 20 categories of migratory bird permit, covering wildlife rehabilitation, scientific research, education, falconry, taxidermy, and depredation management. None of them authorizes personal pet ownership.6U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Permits The permits that do exist typically require formal training, a sponsor, and years of apprenticeship, and they authorize a specific activity, not companionship.
If You Found a Baby or Injured Dove
Finding a young mourning dove on the ground is one of the most common paths to unintentionally breaking this law. Before touching the bird, figure out whether it actually needs help.
A nestling is mostly bare skin with few feathers and can’t hop. If you find one, look for the nest and put it back. Parent birds will not reject a chick because you touched it. If you can’t find the nest, move the nestling to a nearby shaded spot and leave it. The parents are almost certainly close by.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. What to Do if You Find a Baby Bird, Injured or Orphaned Wildlife
A fledgling is mostly feathered and hops around on the ground. It doesn’t need rescuing. Spending time on the ground is a normal part of learning to fly for mourning doves, and the parents keep feeding them through this stage. Leave it alone and keep cats indoors.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. What to Do if You Find a Baby Bird, Injured or Orphaned Wildlife
A bird with a visible broken limb, bleeding, or shivering does need professional help. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator instead of trying to care for the bird yourself, and don’t offer food or water unless the rehabilitator tells you to. State wildlife agencies maintain directories of licensed rehabilitators, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publishes a searchable map of bird rehabilitator locations.7U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. What to Do if You Find a Baby Bird, Injured or Orphaned Wildlife Get the bird to a professional quickly. Holding a protected migratory bird longer than it takes to arrange transfer starts to look like unlawful possession rather than emergency aid.
Doves You Can Legally Keep
You can absolutely have a pet dove. It just can’t be a mourning dove. The USDA officially recognizes small doves and pigeons in the order Columbiformes under 250 grams as pet bird species.8USDA APHIS. List of Pet Birds as Defined by the Animal Welfare Regulations Two species dominate the pet market:
- Ringneck doves, also called ring-necked or barbary doves, have been bred in captivity for centuries. They come in dozens of color mutations, are calm and quiet compared with parrots, and tolerate handling well. They are not native to North America and are not protected under the MBTA.
- Diamond doves are tiny, about the size of a budgie, and originally from Australia. They are gentle, quiet, and do well in pairs. They are captive-bred and also fall outside MBTA protection.
Domesticated doves can live 10 years or longer with proper care. They need a wide enclosure with horizontal flying space since they don’t climb cage bars the way parrots do. A pair does well in a cage at least 24 by 36 inches, with bar spacing of three-eighths of an inch or smaller. Normal household temperatures between 65°F and 80°F suit them.
Some states require permits or registration for captive-bred exotic birds, so check with your state wildlife agency before you buy. Requirements and fees vary. The federal barrier that keeps mourning doves off the pet list does not apply to these species.
How to Tell a Mourning Dove Apart from a Legal Pet Dove
If you’re buying from a private seller rather than an established breeder or pet store, learn the visual differences first. A mourning dove has a long, pointed tail and a small dark spot on its cheek. A ringneck dove has a squared-off tail and a distinctive dark crescent or collar on the back of the neck, not on the cheek. The colors differ too: wild mourning doves are a muted grayish-brown, while ringneck doves come in white, peach, pied, and many other bred variations. Diamond doves are noticeably smaller than mourning doves and have delicate spotted wing patterns.
Don’t take a seller’s word for the species. A mourning dove marketed as a “wild-type ringneck” is still illegal for you to possess, whatever the receipt says. When there’s any doubt, buy from a reputable breeder who can document the bird’s captive-bred lineage.