to expand their range to the north, but will also threaten populations with increased drought and fire, which destroy habitat, and spring heatwaves, which can kill young in the nest. Colonial nesting sites in Mexico have seen significant losses. The main causes were brush clearing to make way for agricultural or urban development (leading to habitat loss), extreme weather such as droughts and hurricanes, and over-hunting. The population in Mexico followed the trend of American populations. In the 1970s, only a million birds were in northeastern Mexico, compared to a rebound of 16 million in the 1980s, and five million in 2007. Habitat fragmentation is of great concern to the species, especially due to the preference for returning to the same large colonies year after year. Due to continued pressures, large nesting colonies are now mainly gone, and are not expected to return. Despite this, the white-winged dove has proved adaptable to human disturbance, and is regarded as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Gallery References Further reading "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 4, Josep del Hoyo editor, "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, External links White-winged Dove Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology White-winged Dove – Zenaida asiatica – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter Stamps (for Belize, Cayman Islands, Honduras, Mexico, and United States) at bird-stamps.org White-winged dove videos at Tree of Life White-winged Dove Journal Natures World white-winged dove Birds of Mexico Birds of Hispaniola Birds of the Dominican Republic Birds of Haiti Native birds of the Southwestern United States Native birds of the Southeastern United States Fauna of the Lower Colorado River Valley Birds of the Rio Grande valleys white-winged dove white-winged dove Articles containing video clips