Why Mourning Doves Are Way Cooler Than You Think
You’ve seen them strolling across your lawn, hanging out underneath your hanging feeders, or resting on a nearby fence line. Because they are so common, people sometimes "poo-poo" the humble mourning dove—but if you stop and look closely, they are actually some of the coolest, most fascinating birds visiting our backyards!
From their unique physical traits to their bizarre nesting habits and strict family schedules, here is a closer look at why the mourning dove is our hands-down pick for Bird of the Week.
The Backyard Clean-Up Crew
Mourning doves are strict seed eaters. While you won't catch them clinging vertically to a tube feeder or digging through dense brush, they are the absolute masters of cleaning up open spaces. They love dining from wide platform feeders or eating straight off the ground. If a seed is visible, they’re going to eat it!
While they enjoy wheat and sunflower seeds, they are also huge fans of cracked corn and white proso millet. When you feed them separate distraction mixes away from your primary songbird stations, they're more than happy to keep your lawn pristine.
Sucking Water Like a Straw
Next time you watch a mourning dove visit a low bird bath, pay close attention to how it drinks. Most birds have to scoop up a single drop of water in their beak, tilt their head completely back, and let gravity slide the liquid down their throat.
Not the mourning dove! Their beak functions dynamically like a built-in straw. They can plunge their beak straight down into the water and continuously suck it up without ever lifting their head.
The Secret Seed Pouch & "Crop Milk"
Mourning doves have an incredible built-in backpack: a specialized pouch in their neck. When they visit your yard, they will rapidly collect and store a massive amount of loose seeds inside this pouch. Once full, they fly off to a safe, quiet spot to digest their harvest in peace.
When it comes to raising their babies, this pouch serves a miraculous purpose. The adult doves partially digest the stored seeds to produce a nutrient-dense, high-protein substance called "crop milk." This unique, self-produced fluid is what they feed to their young during their first few days of life, giving them a massive head start on growth.
The World's Worst Construction Workers
When it comes to building a home, mourning doves are famously known as the absolute worst nest builders alive. They will build a nest anywhere! On your car windshield, directly on top of your windshield wipers, on a narrow window ledge, or inside a low gutter.
Their architectural style is basically "two twigs and a few pine needles thrown together in a loosely constructed mess." However, the teamwork behind this messy construction is actually quite endearing: the male dove will literally stand directly on the female’s back, fetching twigs one by one and handing them down to her while she shapes the pile.
Six Shifts a Year and Co-Parenting Success
While their nests are flimsy, their population is booming because they are incredibly efficient parents. Mourning doves lay exactly two eggs per clutch. That’s it! However, a single pair can raise up to six separate broods a year, starting as early as February and continuing all the way through October.
They also run a strict, highly organized co-parenting schedule to protect the nest around the clock:
- The Dad's Shift: The male takes over incubation duties from mid-morning until late afternoon.
- The Mom's Shift: The female takes over from early evening through the night until the next morning.
Once the eggs hatch, it takes only 11 to 15 days for the chicks to fledge. When the fledglings first hit the ground, Dad steps up to protect and feed them, ensuring they continue to grow and thrive, while Mom immediately gets to work preparing the next nest site.
A Gentle Neighbor Throughout North America
Mourning doves live year-round throughout almost the entire United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. For the most part, they stay exactly where they live, though populations in the far northern regions of the US and Canada will migrate down south or into Mexico for the winter.
Between their soothing, iconic "coo-coo" call and their gentle nature, having them in your backyard is a total joy.
Do you have any questions about attracting mourning doves, setting up the right ground feeding platforms, or choosing the best seed mixes for your neighborhood wildlife? Please reach out to us! We’re always happy to help you build the perfect backyard sanctuary.
