Sunday, June 3, 2012

Squab on the hoof

EASTERN MOURNING DOVE (ZENAIDA MACROURA CAROLINENSIS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 31, 2012

Pentax K20D
Sigma 135-400 APO DG at 400mm
1/350 sec. f11
ISO 400

Some 20 million doves—our leading game bird—are harvested in the United States each year for sport and meat (it was once served in restaurants as squab, but "utility" domestic pigeons are most often used for that dish). The dove population remains at more than 350 million, thanks to the species's prolific reproduction rate. One pair of doves can raise up to six broods a year.

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