S.R. Amend G.H. Haas 1979 <p>Examination of 8,141 adult mourning doves (<i>Zenaida macroura</i>) in North and South Carolina revealed that substantial numbers complete primary feather molt in September. Adult mourning doves shed primaries at the rate of 1 per 14 days. No difference was found in this rate between sexes or among years, 1969-74. The initiation of molt differed from year to year, and female molt always preceded male molt. Available data show that southern doves complete primary molt a month earlier than northern doves. Therefore, age based on primary molt can be biased upward if all molt-complete wings from southern hunting samples are considered immature.</p> application/pdf 10.2307/3800652 en Wiley Primary feather molt of adult mourning doves in North and South Carolina article