Dickinson Ch12: Mourning Dove

I. Description and Identification

Physical Characteristics: Mourning doves are streamlined, mid-sized columbids, typically 12 inches long and 4 ounces in weight. Males are generally larger and heavier than females. They possess small heads and long pointed tails.
Coloration: They are grayish-blue or grayish-brown above and buffy below. They feature black spots on the wings and behind the eyes.
Immature Birds: Immature doves have a mottled appearance due to white or buffy edging on their coverts.
Vocalization: The characteristic mourning, cooing sound is heard during spring and summer.

II. Distribution and Abundance

Range: Mourning doves are widespread throughout the South and are found across middle and North America, including southern Canada and the continental U.S..
Subspecies: The eastern subspecies predominates in the South. A larger, grayish-brown western subspecies and a smaller, paler western subspecies occupy parts of southern Canada and most of the continental U.S..
Abundance: They are the most abundant and widespread migratory game bird in North America. Their geographical distribution and numbers have expanded since European settlement.
Migration/Population: The breeding and wintering distributions overlap broadly south of the Mason-Dixon line. Nonmigratory populations often reside in areas where food from bird feeders is abundant.

III. Reproduction and Life History

Breeding: They can produce multiple broods (up to 4 to 6 broods) during their prolonged breeding season, which typically runs from February through September.
Nests: They usually lay 2 white eggs in a shallow nest. Nests are found in trees, shrubs, and various locations, often close to human habitation. Both parents incubate the eggs.
Young: Young leave the nest at 12–15 days old. Parents feed the young a substance called "crop milk".
Lifespan: The average lifespan for a wild mourning dove is about one year for immatures and 1.5 years for adults. The longevity record is 19.3 years for a free-living bird.

IV. Food and Feeding

Diet: Doves are primarily seed-eaters (99% of diet). They feed on erect stiff pedicels or ground feeders and consume small to medium sized seeds.
Method: They must swallow grit to help grind hardened seeds, and they do not scratch or probe the ground for food.
Common Foods: Agricultural crops commonly consumed include corn, sunflowers, rye, grain sorghum, soybeans, and hulled peanuts.
Attraction: Doves are attracted to "hogged-down" (fields where livestock or machinery is used to turn up the ground) or unharvested grain crops.

V. Threats and Health

Diseases: The two most important diseases are avian pox (viral, causes wart-like nodules) and trichomoniasis (protozoan, causes high-mortality yellowish lesions in the mouth and esophagus).
Predation: Common predators include raptors (e.g., Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks), domestic cats, dogs, and rat snakes (primary predators of eggs and young).
Contaminants: Residues of organochlorine pesticides (like DDT and dieldrin) and PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) have been reported in doves, sometimes affecting metabolism and hormone levels.
Lead Poisoning: Ingestion of lead shot is a mortality risk, which can be mitigated by encouraging or requiring non-toxic shot in highly hunted areas.

VI. Hunting and Management

Status: The mourning dove is the leading game bird in North America in terms of harvest numbers.
Economic Impact: Dove hunting contributes significant financial benefits to local economies and wildlife conservation, with expenditures estimated at $500 million in 1985.
Hunting Style: Hunting frequently involves social gatherings ("shoots") and is often viewed as the "kick-off" to the fall hunting season. Hunters typically use camouflage and hunt from blinds near feeding fields.
Habitat Management: Management in southern forests focuses on maintaining loafing, roosting, and additional nesting opportunities. This includes maintaining habitat in 1–2 year old natural vegetation.
Regulatory Concern: Illegal baiting (distributing grain to attract doves) is a common violation.
Water Management: Doves require daily water, preferably accessed via gently sloping banks of ponds or streams.