Do you love the soft cooing sound that floats through your garden? That is the mourning dove! One of the most loved backyard birds in the United States. Attracting these backyard friends is as easy as leaving an area in your yard looking unfinished. From the gravel area you’ve been meaning to finish to the area they're nesting, attracting doves is easier than you think. Keep reading to find out how these bad nest builders are actually geniuses.
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Doves aren't the best fliers, and often need a little runway to take off and land. They aren't like the small songbirds that can do an aerial acrobatics into a bush. Rather doves need open spaces in grass or dirt to land and take off from their feeding sites. So, your empty lawn isn't just for decoration, it's an important airport for your doves.
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Mourning doves poorly build their nests so they need dense vegetation to hide it from predators. Large shrubs, dense evergreens, and leafy trees conceal their nests and protect their poor construction. These shrubs give doves a quick escape when a hawk flies over.
Power Lines as a Social Club
The utility lines in your yard are actually a nesting mourning dove coffee shop. Utility lines are great social hubs for birds. They perch and socialize before visiting your birdbath and bird feeders. These utility lines make your yard a great stop for mourning doves and other birds.
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Commonly Asked Questions
1. When Mourning Doves fly away, it is common to hear a whistling sound. Mourning Doves have a distinctive flying pattern that causes their wing feathers to make a noise similar to a whistle. Each dove has a unique "whistle" that depends on how they fly. Other than Mourning Doves, you can see and hear whistling sounds from other birds, including American Robins and Barn Swallows.
That sharp whistling sound is not a vocalization, it's made by their wings! Mourning doves have a specific shape in their primary flight feathers that when they take off or land, cause them to vibrate and produce a distinct sound. Scientists understand that this sound acts as a type of warning system to alert other doves in the flock to the potential threat of a bird that flushes.
2. Why do they have such flimsy and poorly constructed nests?
Most mourning dove nests are made from sticks and twigs. This is a breeding strategy that focuses on quantity. Mourning doves are prolific breeders. In fact, they can raise up to six broods in a single year in warmer climates. Mourning doves spend little time building their nests, so if a predator destroys their nest, they can quickly rebuild. Mourning doves have a high focus on producing offspring, not building the ideal nest.
3. What are some ways to distinguish a Mourning Dove and a Eurasian Collared-Dove?
As the Eurasian collared-dove spreads into new areas, the question you asked will become more relevant. Here are some differences: 1) **Size:** Collard-doves are bulkier and larger. 2) **Color:** While Collared-Doves have a chalky pale grayish-tan color, Mourning Doves are more of a warmer pinkish-brown shade. 3) **Tail:** The tail of a Mourning Dove is long and pointed and features white feathers on the outside. Collared-Doves, on the other hand have shorter tails and squared ones. 4) **The Collar:** While the Eurasian collared-dove has a black half-ring which is found on the back of its neck this is a feature that is not found on a Mourning Dove.
4. Is it a problem to have mourning doves at feeders?
Not usually. Mourning doves will not harass smaller songbirds. However, being ground feeders, a large flock can quickly eat all of the seed you scatter. If you find you have too many mourning doves, the best solution is to reduce the amount of seed you put on the ground for a while. They also tend to get sick, like with trichomoniasis, which is spread via dirty water, so be sure to keep birdbaths at ground level clean.
5. Do mourning doves leave for the winter?
It depends on where you live. Mourning doves in northern parts of the U.S. and Canada will migrate south for the winter. However, doves in the central and southern states are often year-round residents. Therefore, if you live in a moderate or warm climate, you can enjoy gentle dove cooing all winter long, especially if you put out a reliable food source and heated birdbath.
