Monogamy | Nesting | Care for Young

Care for Young:

For the first week or so of their life, fledgling Mourning doves are not colonial and do not intermingle with other offspring (Hitchcock et al., 1988). Both the male and female invest the same time watching the brood until the hatchlings are about 6 days old, when they may be left alone for short periods of time (Westmoreland 1989). When left alone at the nest, hatchlings may show a ‘defensive-threat’ display at intruder predators (Ecology and Management, 1993). Fledglings can recognize the call of their fathers and will respond with food-begging behavior (Hitchcock et al., 1988). Interestingly, previous studies have shown that father Mourning doves have significant trouble identifying their own children and will not only feed other fledglings that resemble their own, but also will attack their own chicks if they respond to their father with fear (Hitchcock et al.). Therefore, Hitchcock et al., surmise, young fledgling Mourning doves may have evolved recognition behavior due to strong selective pressure to identify themselves to their father (1988).

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Mourning dove nestlings are usually fledged (meaning that they can fly, but remain in the nest area) at around 15 days of age (Hitchcock et al., 1986). At 21 days the fledglings’ feathers have come in completely, which allows for much more efficient flying and thus much more exploration of the surrounding areas (Hitchcock). Up until 27 days, fledglings tend to stay within 45 meters of the nest site and are usually fed by their father (Hitchcock). When young, hatchlings are fed from their parents; Mourning doves have a bilobed crop that makes crop milk (also called ‘pigeon milk’) that they feed the young with (Camfield, 2004). At this age fledglings stay near the nest tree but often use different roosting sites – probably an adaptation to avoid nocturnal predators (Hitchcock et al., 1986). After 27 days fledglings start centering their reference areas around abundant food supplies as opposed to their nesting tree (Hitchcock). At 30 days fledglings leave the nest for good and move into juvenile flocks (Hitchcock)

In feeding, young doves learn by trial and error unless directly observing a parent feeding close by (Ecology and Management, 1993).