05/13/2020
Had to chance to capture not one but a pair of mourning doves, right outside my door.
Fun facts about this species:
Mourning doves store seeds they collect from the ground in their “crop”, which is part of their esophagus. Once they’ve filled the crop, they’ll fly to somewhere safe before digesting the seeds.
The mourning dove is one of the most common game birds in North America.
The oldest recorded age for a mourning dove is 31 years.
Mourning doves mostly eat seeds – they make up 99% of their diet.
Mourning doves eat up to 20% of their body weight each day.
They almost always lay eggs in pairs.
Another name for mourning doves, is “turtle doves” as in the popular Twelve Days Of Christmas song.
Mourning doves stay with the same mate throughout the breeding season, and it’s thought they may remain monogamous throughout their life.
They’ve been recorded flying at speeds up to 55 mph.
The mourning dove gets its name from the mournful sound of its cooing.
Baby mourning doves will first leave the nest at between 11 to 15 days of age, becoming independent after about 30 days.
The mourning dove can raise up to 6 broods in a breeding season.
The mourning dove is one of the most hunted game birds in North America with over 70 million shot each year.
Unusually for birds, the mourning dove drinks by sucking up the water. Most bird species drink by filling their bill and then letting the water run down their throat.