Science: Off-Color Doves

Hunters who see an off-color dove this shooting season should report it at once to the nearest wildlife authorities. It will not be a new species, just an ordinary, greyish-brown mourning dove that has been trapped and dipped in a tray of dye.

Last year Florida dyed 157 doves bright yellow. Some of them traveled 450 airline miles in six days, and were reported by baffled hunters as a cross “between doves and canaries.” (Florida also dyes squirrels blue, and paints the backsides of deer with dye.) This year five Southern states will dye doves, each state using a different dye. Wildlife experts do not think that the bright colors will expose the doves to their natural enemies. But they hope to find out more about the migration habits of doves by making marked individuals easy to identify.