Mourning Dove

also known as Zenaida macroura.

Todays post is about the doves for a variety of reason.
1) My yard is infested with them. Not that this is necessarily a bad infestation. personally, I like them. I think the most we've counted sitting on our deck is 28 at one time. We had only 3-4 three years ago, and belive me when I say they breed like rabbits. No, really. I blame my father. Every winter we put out bag and bags of bird seed to feed our feathered friends, and it's gotten to the point where all the doves are as big as chickens and not afraid of us (or our cars) anymore.
2) Today, I saw my first robin. It's a contest every year in my family for who can spot the first robin. I WON. SPRINGTIME, HELL YEAH. I know robins=doves does not make sense, but re; the point below.
3) With doves, you only ever really hear them in the summer when you're outdoors. Their distinctive coo can be heard in the mornings and evenings. Spring = almost summer, which means eating breakfast outside and drinking tea in the sun, and late nights out in the yard, heading in when the doves start to coo and the air starts to cool.

The common mourning dove is a feathered cousin to the white dove. Its identifying features inclue plump bodies with long tails, short stubby legs, a small bill, and an absurdly small head, and they grow up to twelve inches. They tend to be a delicate brown to a deep tan in colour with small black spots on the feathers. The males and females are practically indistinguishable from one another. They live throughout North America, staying out of deep woods and instead living and breeding in open country. They are especially common in Southern Canada and across the United States. For the most part, many of the more Northern birds are migratory unless they have a large food supply in the area. (Such as my house...)

Mourning doves have diets much like other Canadian birds; berries, seeds, and invertebrates such as beetles and worms. Mourning doves will often feed outside of their nesting ground.

Oddly enough, Mourning doves are monogamous, meaning they have the same parter year after year until one of the partners dies. Breeding and nesting beings in March-Arpil, with the Male cooing loudly to attract a mate. Many nests are in trees, both coniferous and deciduous.

Each brood will have 1-2 eggs. The birds are devoted parents, and nests are very rarely unattended. When the chicks hatch two weeks later, they are fed pigeon's milk for two days before the milk is slowly augmented by seeds. Fledging takes place about two weeks after birth. The leave the nest, but are continually fed by their parents for another two weeks. Because this process is so quick, in warmer weather a single pair can have as many as 6 broods a season. Meaning 2 birds quickly turns into twelve. However, this prolific breeding is needed for the high mortality rate; 60% in adults and 70% in adolescents.. The birds become sexually mature the year following their birth, where they reconvene in the same area. (Which explains why we have so many....)

Because the estimated population of mourning doves in North America is approxametly 375 million, they are not considered at risk. Hunting of the doves for sport and food are extrememly popular, with the hunting season lasting through October.

The doves are best known for their distinctive coo. Many people may mistake them for an owl. To hear the call of a mourning dove, visit the link below.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/id .

You might have heard it while enoying a beer on your deck, or wandering the countryside, or while camping. I love it; it's soothing and reminds me of warm summer nights.

Some people find them to be pests, but you know what?
I think mourning doves are awesome.

....bet you didn't know I was going to say that.