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Texas White-Winged Dove Estimate Reached a Record 12.9 Million Birds in 2026

White-winged dove at National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas
Conservation · Population & status

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) estimated the statewide spring breeding abundance of white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica) at 12.9 million birds in 2026, the highest estimate since the current monitoring series began in 2008. The department released the new figures on 21 August 2026 ahead of the autumn dove season.

The 2026 estimate was 10% higher than in 2025 and 25% above the 2008–2025 long-term average of 10.3 million birds. Across the monitoring period, statewide estimates have ranged from 6.7 million in 2008 to the new high of 12.9 million.

Most White-Winged Doves Were Estimated in Urban Areas

White-winged doves remained strongly concentrated in human-dominated landscapes. An estimated 78% occurred in urban areas and 22% in rural areas, while average density in urban survey areas was 62 times greater than in rural areas in 2026.

Regional Trends Moved in Different Directions

The statewide increase was not uniform. In the Chihuahuan Desert, the estimate rose by 122% from 2025 to about 1.43 million birds, a new regional high and about three times the long-term average. The Tamaulipan Brushlands estimate increased 17% to about 4.43 million and stood 86% above its long-term average, while Oaks and Prairies held an estimated 3.73 million birds, 2% above 2025 and 6% above average.

Several regions moved in the opposite direction. The Edwards Plateau estimate fell 19% from 2025 and was 48% below its long-term average. Pineywoods declined 28% from the previous year, and Central Mixed Grass Prairie declined 11%. The regional results therefore show that the record statewide estimate did not represent the same trend everywhere in Texas.

TPWD combines separate rural and urban surveys conducted each May and June. Observers count doves and record their distance from the survey point, allowing the department to estimate abundance while accounting for how detectability changes with distance. The 2026 results therefore describe the estimated spring breeding population, not a direct census of every white-winged dove in Texas.

Sources and image credit

  1. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Dove Population Status Report, 2026Official statewide monitoring report. The 2026 white-winged dove abundance estimate is 12.9 million, 10% above 2025 and 25% above the 2008–2025 average. An estimated 78% of birds occurred in urban areas and average urban density was 62 times rural density. The report provides regional estimates and year-over-year and long-term changes.
  2. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Strong Dove Population Numbers Anticipated as Hunters Fly Toward Opening DayOfficial TPWD news release dated 21 August 2026 confirming the 12.9-million white-winged dove estimate as the highest on record and 10% above 2025. Used as the dated release source for the 2026 population figures.

Image: Bettina Arrigoni — wild white-winged dove photographed at National Butterfly Center, Mission, Texas, 28 February 2018; Wikimedia Commons/Flickr; representative Texas species image, not a survey bird · CC BY 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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