This is a common but frequently overlooked bird throughout the U.S. The courtship flight of the male begins with an upward arc and audible wing clapping and ends in a glide with a flamboyant tail display. I wanted to capture that moment in wood. I cannot express the difficulties of carving these two birds…the female at rest and the male displaying. Carving the open wings and tail required some innovative “engineering” solutions. Mounting the male so that the feet are free trying to capture that “one important moment” while the female seems rather unimpressed was a real challenge. And, if you think doves are just plain grey and brown birds, think again! Painting the subtleties of the coloration nearly drove me nuts! This carving took me several hundred hours to complete over 6 months. This is a special pair of rather common birds!