They come in pairs

Mourning Doves nested and hatched their young in a plant on our back patio for over three years. They typically nested from November through April, with a new mom moving in as soon the previous tenants moved out.

There were usually two eggs laid, which took about two weeks to hatch.

Nesting is a team role

The male shares nesting duties with the female. I frequently observed the partners changing shifts. While one parent sits on the eggs or stays with the newborns, the other hunts for food.

Newborn siblings

These are newborn doves. They were only one or two days old at the time of this photo. It typically takes about 14 days for the eggs to hatch, and then another two weeks for the babies to grow to fledglings.

Toddlers

The baby doves tend to mature very quickly (12-14 days from hatching to fledgling).

Meal time

The parents take turns sitting on the nest. While one is at the nest, the other is collecting food for the young.

Here, a parent has just returned to relieve its spouse and is now feeding the babies. There is quite a bit of competition for the food, as you can tell from the 'feeding' photos.