Let’s know mourning dove and mourning dove nest
The mourning dove, also known as the weeping dove or mourning dove, is a species of bird in the genus Mourning Dove of the family Columbidae. The body is slender, with light gray-brown feathers, lighter under the wings, pointed tail feathers, several black spots on the wings, and pink head and chest. The male mourning dove has a small patch of metallic feathers on each side of the neck.The dove is named “mourning dove” because of its low, sobbing sound that sounds like crying.
The mourning dove is found in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean islands. Mourning doves have similar habits to other pigeons and doves. They prefer open or semi-open habitats, such as grasslands, farms, wastelands, and urban green spaces. In these places, they can often be see wandering around on the ground. They are accustome to looking for plant seeds on the ground for food, pecking at the seeds as they walk. Mourning doves lay two eggs per nest. The male and female mourning doves take turns incubating the eggs for 14 days before the young doves hatch. Both male and female mourning doves secrete “pigeon milk” from their crops to feed their young. The nutritional content of pigeon milk is similar to that of mammalian breast milk. It only takes two weeks for the young doves to grow most of their feathers and leave the simple nest.
Mourning doves are consider to be in no danger of continuing as a species due to their large population, widespread distribution, and high reproductive rate. Human development in North America has transformed large tracts of forest into farmland and pasture, increasing the number of habitats that mourning doves prefer. With their “anywhere is your home” and “make do with what you have” nesting strategies, as well as their short incubation period and rapid maturation of their offspring, mourning doves have become one of the most common and numerous wild birds in North America.
Morphological characteristics
The male mourning dove is 23-34 cm long, the female is 22.5-31 cm long, with a wingspan of about 45 cm. The male weighs 96-170 grams, and the female weighs 86-156 grams. The plumage of the whole body is generally light gray-brown, with the lower part of the wings being lighter in color, and the head and chest and abdomen being pink. There are black spots on the wings, and the outer tail feathers are white, which contrasts sharply with the black feathers of the inner layer. There is a distinct crescent-shape area of black feathers under the eyes.
The eyes are black, and the skin around them is thin. Adult male birds have bright grape purple patches on both sides of the neck, and bright pink on the chest and above the chest. The crown of the adult male bird is a very obvious blue-gray. The female adult bird is not much different from the male in body shape, but generally has more gray feathers than the male. A very small number of male birds have colored feather patches above the shoulders and neck. The plumage of young birds is darker.
The mourning dove has four toes on each foot , three pointing forward and one pointing backward, and has short legs that are light red in color. The beak is dark, usually black-brown, and relatively short.
Habitat
Mourning doves are highly adaptable birds found in a wide variety of habitats. They are more common in open woodlands and forest edges near grasslands and fields. These birds are most abundant in agricultural and suburban areas where humans have created large areas of suitable habitat. They inhabit dense deciduous or coniferous forests or rocky mountain and rural areas. They nest in rock crevices, cliffs, or in the branches of trees.
Mourning doves occupy most suitable habitats, including urban areas, farmlands, pastures, grasslands, and open woodlands, although they do not like swamps and dense forests. Mourning doves are known to nest in trees in urban areas such as New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, as well as in forests of the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains. Most mourning doves live in deciduous and coniferous forests, but they are sometimes found in shrubs, vines , or man-made structures such as buildings and hanging flower pots
Living habits
Mourning doves living in the south do not migrate. Those in the north are all migratory birds. They breed in the north and winter in the south. In particular, mourning doves living in southern Canada winter in the southern United States, passing through Mexico and then to Panama or the West Indies in Central America. Animals that breed on the Canadian prairies winter there. Populations in southern Central America stay there only in the winter and move north during the breeding season.
Southern migration usually occurs between September and November, and the spring migration usually occurs between March and May, when they return north to their breeding areas. Migrating birds may fly about 1,600 kilometers to reach their breeding or wintering areas. These powerful flyers are capable of reaching speeds of up to 88 kilometers per hour.
Most mourning dove migrations are overland, and they travel at least 1,600 km to reach their destination. However, on rare occasions, mourning doves pass through the Gulf of Mexico . In the spring, the northward migration lasts from the end of March to May; in the fall, the southward migration lasts from the end of August to November, and usually occurs in large groups during the day. Canadian mourning doves migrate the farthest and may winter in Mexico or even further south. Mourning doves that spend the summer in more southerly areas stay longer and migrate less frequently. In the southern part of its range, the mourning dove is a resident bird, resident year-round.
Feeding habits
The bird feeds primarily on seeds, both native and introduced. It has a preference for a few plants, notably pine cones, sweet gum seeds, pokeweed seeds, amaranth seeds, canary weed seeds, corn, sesame, and wheat. When its favorite foods are scarce, it will feed on seeds of other plants, including buckwheat, rye, sedge, and knotweed. It often swallows coarse particles, such as gravel and sand, to aid digestion.
Reproduction method
The mating call of the mourning dove begins with a noisy flight of the male, followed by a graceful glide, wings outstretched, head lowered, in a beautiful arc. Once on the ground, the male holds his chest high, nods his head, calls loudly, and approaches the female. These mating calls are often heard during the warmer months of the year. If a male sees a female he likes, he will chase away other males on the same branch, and only establish his territory when he has successfully courted a mate. Mourning dove pairs often use their beaks to groom each other’s feathers.
After courtship, the male will take the female to see possible nesting sites. The female will choose one of the sites and settle down. Then the male will fly out to collect nesting materials and bring them back to the female. The male will stand on the female’s back and give the nesting materials to the female, who will then use these nesting materials to build a nest. The nesting materials include small branches, needles or grass leaves, so it is a very fragile structure. The time spent on nesting each day is more than 10 hours, and it takes 3-4 days to weave the nest. These mourning doves sometimes also need abandoned nests of other mourning doves, other birds or arboreal mammals such as squirrels.
Mourning doves are very fertile, with a pair often producing two to three clutches of eggs per year, making them the longest breeding bird in North America. During the breeding season in warm areas, a pair may produce up to six clutches per season. This rapid reproduction is important to the survival of the species, as the mortality rate of mourning doves is very high. Every year, the mortality rate of adult birds reaches 58%, and the mortality rate of chicks reaches 69%. Incubation takes about two weeks. The newly hatched chicks are helpless and covered in feathers, and the parents take great care of them. For the first three or four days of the chicks’ lives, the mourning doves feed their chicks pigeon milk. When the chicks are hungry, they tap their parents’ beaks with their wings, which stimulates the adults to regurgitate the pigeon milk.
As the adults eat more seeds and other food, the milk and seeds are regurgitate to feed the chicks. The chicks fledge 11-15 days after birth, before they reach adulthood, but soon after they have the ability to digest the food eaten by the adults, and they are now ready to leave the nest, so the adults only feed seeds to the chicks after they have hatched. Generally, the females feed the chicks for the first 15 days after hatching, after which the males take over the responsibility of feeding the chicks. After they have fledged, they will remain with their parents for several weeks to be fed by their parents.
Mourning doves are monogamous and form close pairs. During the breeding season, mourning dove pairs in the same area sometimes find new mates ; other times, pairs remain fixed and spend the winter together. In addition, solitary doves will also find a new mate when necessary.
While mourning doves are nesting, crows , mynahs , house cats , or rats and snakes may prey on their eggs. Cowbirds will rarely lay their eggs in a mourning dove’s nest. In these cases, slightly less than a third of cowbird eggs are reject by the mourning dove, but the mourning dove’s vegetarian diet is not suitable for the cowbird’s growth. The average lifespan of a young mourning dove in the wild is about 1-1.5 years, and if the young survive, the average lifespan is usually 4-5 years
Mourning dove nest
Mourning doves are gentle, social birds that can be found across North America. When it comes to nesting, they exhibit a rather minimalist approach. The nests are typically constructed by the female, while the male gathers the materials. These materials often include twigs, grass, and pine needles. The result is a somewhat flimsy platform-like structure, often precariously placed in trees, shrubs, or even on man-made structures like gutters and windowsills. The nest itself appears rather haphazard, with twigs loosely woven together, offering just enough support for their eggs.
Interestingly, mourning doves have a high nesting success rate despite their seemingly inadequate nest construction. The birds are highly adaptable and can nest in a variety of environments, which contributes to their wide distribution. They often prefer to nest near human habitation, taking advantage of the abundance of nesting sites and food sources.
A typical mourning dove clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated by both parents for about two weeks. The squabs (chicks) are then cared for and fed “pigeon milk” by both parents until they fledge around 12-14 days after hatching. During this period, the parents are highly protective of their nest and young, showcasing their dedication and resilience.
In conclusion, while mourning dove nests may not win any architectural awards, they are a testament to the birds’ adaptability and resourcefulness. Their successful breeding strategies and ability to thrive in diverse environments ensure that mourning doves continue to be a common and beloved presence across the continent.
