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They come in pairs
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.
Fledglings
Now fledglings, the family would be gone in a few weeks, and another pair would move in to the plant.
Toddlers
The baby doves tend to mature very quickly (12-14 days from hatching to fledgling).
Flying the Coop
This yound dove is preparing to leave the nest it has known since hatching for the first time ... and its last (unless of course, it returned the next year to start its own family.
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Mourning Doves...Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura) nested in a plant on our patio for three years. We have enjoyed watching the birth and growth of approximately 30 baby doves in the plant. The doves seem to be almost always born in pairs (no Lonesome Dove here). The nesting period lasts about three weeks, with the babies growing to their first flight only a couple of weeks after we first observe them. The doves' flimsy nest is built in one or two days by the female with materials brought by the male. The monogamous pair will live up to 19 years. |