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Dove On Saguaro

We drove through the edge of Saguaro National Park in the Arizona desert, looking for birds on top of the immense, tall saguaro cacti that dotted the landscape. Almost always, when we did see a bird, it was a White-winged Dove, which surprised me (being not from AZ), as I somehow thought they would be hawks or other, rougher-type birds. Those blossoms might just be delicious!

From Cornell Labs website: ‘Originally a bird of desert thickets, the White-winged Dove has become a common sight in cities and towns across the southern U.S. When perched, this bird’s unspotted brown upperparts and neat white crescents along the wing distinguish it from the ubiquitous Mourning Dove. In flight, those subdued crescents become flashing white stripes worthy of the bird’s common name. Take a closer look and you’ll see a remarkably colorful face, with bright-orange eyes and blue “eye shadow.”’

Photo taken near Tuscon, AZ, in the Suguaro National Park, in April, 2017