Exploring the Mourning Doves Nesting, Egg Laying, Feeding Habits

The Mourning Doves coo may sound sad, but it can be a signal of the dove beginning its nesting habits of claiming territory, calling a mate, laying eggs, and raising young.

The coo sound is also where they get their name.

Mourning Dove Call Sound

The mourning dove's call is a distinctive cooing sound that is often described as a soft, mournful "coo-OO-oo, oo, oo."

The call is usually repeated several times in a row, with a short pause in between each repetition.

The sound is relatively low-pitched and soothing, and it is often heard in the early morning or late afternoon

What Does the Mourning Dove Call Mean?

The purpose of the mourning dove birds call is primarily to attract a mate and establish territory.

During the breeding season, male mourning doves will perch on a prominent branch or other high point and repeatedly call out to potential mates.

The call serves as a way to advertise the male's presence and attract females to his territory.

In addition, the call may also be used to communicate with other doves in the area and establish social hierarchies.

dove pair in nest built inside hanging planter

Male and Female Dove in Planter Box

Description

The Mourning Dove is slimmer than the pigeon and is about 12 inches in length. The Mourning Dove has a soft gray-brown body and a gray patch on the head.

Black dots on their wings and a single black spot behind and below the eyes.

When perching, you'll notice a long tapered tail. In-flight, you'll see that the tail has a white-edged band.

Found in Canada and all the lower 48 states, down to Mexico.

Feeding Habits

disclamer for affiliate earnings link to privacy policy

Doves are common at bird feeders and will eat a variety of seeds. Try placing bird seed on a tray feeder as it's important to keep the seed off the ground to prevent spoilage.

Some of their favorites include White millet, safflower, and cracked corn. These are the most common seeds that Mourning Doves eat.

Try offering Safflower seed for the doves to eat while nesting to supplement their diet. Just don't put it close to the nest as food can attract predators.

A side benefit to offering safflower seed is that you'll also attract more Northern Cardinals to your backyard.

For more information on seeds and photos of each, please see our Bird Seed Page.

Basic Habitat Where Do Doves Live and Nest?

Doves prefer open land with a scattering of trees and shrubs. You'll find them in most types of habitats, excluding forested or wetland areas

During winter, mourning doves sleep in dense evergreens that protect them from weather and predators.

The Mourning Dove is one of the most widespread and common birds in North America due to its habitat adaptability.

The best garden habitat for a Mourning Dove nest includes an open lawn, herbaceous borders, and flower beds, with scattered patches of trees and shrubs.

Dove Range Map

Include a source of water close to the ground (in winter, see: heated bird baths) in addition to providing bird seed and you should be able to attract these birds all year.

Dove Standing on Deck Railing With Nest Material in Beak

Dove Nesting Habits

Mourning Doves nest on and in a lot of unusual places. Preferring woodland or grassland edges, Mourning doves will even nest on the ground in the absence of suitable trees or shrubs.

Man-made objects are also used by doves for nest sites. Things like a flower planters, rain gutters, and even an old Robin nests.

The breeding season of these birds can begin as early as March. Once mated the Mourning doves quickly begin their nesting habits.

They build their nest, which is a loose collection of twigs, grass, weeds, and pine needles. Taking only 2 - 4 days to complete.

I stress loose because dove nest can be so lightly put together that often you can see the doves eggs from the bottom.

Many folks wonder if they should help the birds out. Mostly, I suggest leaving it alone, but I'm not there looking at it like you are.

If startled, they may fly off the nest too quickly and the eggs could fall from the nest.

Birdwatchers would be wise to wait until the eggs have hatched before approaching any nest.

Nest abandonment is very common with Doves. If they feel any threat from predators, whether human or animal, they may go elsewhere to nest, abandoning both eggs and nestlings.

What do Dove Eggs Look Like in Nest?

dove nest with two dove eggs

Dove Nest with Eggs

The Mourning Dove nest can be found 5-25 feet above the ground, often in the crotch of a shrub or tree.

Mourning Doves lay 2 white eggs that the doves sit on (incubate) for 14 to 15 days before the dove eggs hatch.

When Do Baby Doves Leave The Nest?

When the mourning dove babies hatch after two weeks of incubation, the adults will brood them continually for 4 to 5 days.

You may not know that the dove's eggs have hatched during this time since the adults keep them covered with their bodies.

dove nesting on security lights

Dove Nesting in Old Robin Nest

By day 6 or 7, if the weather cooperates, the adults will begin to leave them alone. Sometimes for long periods.

Night brooding of the mourning dove babies stops by day 9 or 10 and the young will leave the nest by day 12-14.

Mourning Dove Nesting Stats
Mourning Dove Nesting Stats
Eggs 1 - 2
Incubation 14 - 15 days
Nestling Phase 12- 14 days
Broods 2 - 3

Doves have been known to reuse the same nest for five sets of eggs in a single season. Usually, 2 - 3 broods are raised each season.

The peak Mourning dove breeding season is April - July, although they may nest as early as March and as late as October in some areas.

Pairs stay together (monogamous) through the season and some may pair up in the following seasons.

You can try attracting them to nest near you by placing a Dove Nesting Shelf attached to a tree or your house.

Another trick I've had success with was to use a hanging plant container.

I fill the container with soil and top it off with some White Pine needles. White Pines have very soft needles unlike, many other types of pine trees.

I place the hanging container under a porch or below the roof of my garden gate.

If placed on your deck or porch, make sure you hang it close to the outside of the deck or porch.

A Pair of baby doves (squabs) peering out of the nest
Two Squabs (baby doves)

Mourning Doves, along with Pigeons, produce a food called pigeon milk (not really milk) by glands in the crop of the adult bird.

The parent opens its mouth wide, permitting the nestling to stick its head inside to feed on the nutritious food.

In a few days, the "crop milk" feeding subsides and the adults will begin feeding the young squabs regurgitated seeds. Adults will keep feeding the young for about a month after hatching.

The adults will teach and help the young for a short time after the young leave the nest.

In the wild, the adult birds feed primarily on field waste grain. These include corn, wheat, grass, and weed seeds.

You can attract these birds to your feeder by supplying white and red proso millet, oil-type sunflower seeds, and cracked corn.

Important Nesting Information

Often emails from bird watchers arrive asking, "Our dove has not left the nest in days. Will she starve or die of thirst? What should we do?"

Unlike most birds, Doves incubate their eggs continually. Since the male and female look alike, it appears the same bird is incubating the eggs the whole time.

The male does the daytime shift, and the female does the night shift. If you are around mid-morning or mid-afternoon, you might get to see them change places.

Not to worry though, the switch was made while you were not looking.

Do Doves Mate for Life?

People ask "Do Mourning doves mate for life?" Often worrying about what happens when one of the turtle doves dies.

As a species, Mourning doves are not considered to be strictly monogamous and do not necessarily mate for life.

While some mourning doves do form long-term pair bonds and may stay together for multiple breeding seasons, many others do not.

male and female dove in hanging planter
Mated Pair of Doves

Still, Mourning Doves do exhibit a range of mating behaviors that can include both monogamous and non-monogamous behaviors, depending on various factors such as location, population dynamics, and individual variation.

Here is where you can find our definition of the term Birds Mating for Life.

What Happens If One Of The Pair Dies?

I guess people would like to know what a surviving dove will do if its mate dies.

Sometimes the surviving dove will attempt to incubate the eggs or continue feeding the nestlings.

This is a hard task for a single bird and is often unsuccessful.

In due course, the surviving dove will find a new mate.

Since they nest several times a season, (2 - 3 is normal) they may raise a successful brood in the same season with a new mate.

While it's sad to lose these dove birds in your yard, be comforted knowing they will mate again.

So many websites owners only do their research by reading other websites so this mating for life thing just gets larger.

It's possible that the idea of mourning doves mating for life has become popular due to their gentle and peaceful nature, which makes them appealing to many people.

Additionally, their strong bonds during the breeding season and monogamous behavior might contribute to the perception that they mate for life.

However, without scientific studies tracking banded birds over time, it's difficult to definitively say whether any mourning doves mate for life or not.

It's important to rely on scientific evidence and research to draw conclusions about animal behavior, rather than relying on popular beliefs or assumptions.

How Do Doves Mate?

This is the physical process of how these birds mate. Mourning Doves, like most birds, reproduce through sexual reproduction.

The male dove mounts the female to transfer sperm, which fertilizes the eggs inside the female.

The female then lays the fertilized eggs, which develop and hatch into chicks.

What Is The Lifespan of Mourning Doves?

If a dove survives their first year, it can on average live 4 - 5 years in the wild.

According to the Cornell website, (All About Birds) average lifespan for first-year birds is 1 - 1.5 years.

First-year doves have a mortality rate of 60 - 75 percent and adults have a mortality rate of 50 - 60 percent.

For any songbird, the first year of survival is the most difficult.

What Are the Predators of These Birds?

Birds that will prey on adult Mourning Dove birds include Hawks and Falcons. On the ground and in the nest: cats, raccoons, opossums, Grackles, Crows, and snakes will eat on doves and their eggs.

Due to their ground-feeding behavior, they are often caught by predators.

dove roosting in tree

Can I Move A Dove Nest

I get many emails complaining that doves have nested too close to the door or where dogs are contained. They ask "can I move the dove's nest?"

I'm sorry to say that when a nest is moved, most times it is interpreted as a predator attack, which will cause the Doves to abandon the nest.

All I can suggest is to do your best. Use the door if you have to and keep dogs monitored at fledging times.

There are times the nest must be removed. This happens when nests are located on movable objects such as automobiles or tractors that have sat for a while.

It's then that I would recommend trying to move the nest but keeping it as close as possible to where the nest was found.

Don't walk the nest 20 feet away and place it in a tree. Use common sense. It may not work out, but you've done what you can.

I am aware of others who have had success. --- That's my 2 cents on this matter.

Please don't write and tell me about the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. I'm aware of what it says and am confident in its intent. Thank you.

Many of our visitors have shared some unusual nesting sites that doves have used and how they dealt with things.

Do Doves Migrate or Go South for Winter

Northern populations move south while those in the mid-range are partial migrants and Southern residents stay in their area.

In most areas of its range, you'll see doves during the winter months. Heated birdbaths can help in their winter survival.

Doves Nesting in Hanging Planter, How or Can I Water?

This is up to you as many of our websites visitors have told us they were successful at watering their plants with dove nests in them.

First and foremost, don't get water anywhere near the eggs, nest, or squabs. Doves always cover these three things when it rains. The adult takes the brunt of the weather.

If possible, wait until the adult is off the nest. Then, water around the edges of the plant making sure none of the water runs toward the nest.

Got an interesting story and pictures about Doves in your backyard. Please Share it With Our Visitors. To share, start here: Share My Mourning Dove Story
Read What Others Have Shared.

If the adults are never off the nest, then I'll leave it up to you.

Some folks have been able to water successfully by gently approaching the nest and having the adult leave. Giving them time to water.

Be aware that this method might cause the adult to be gone for quite some time, waiting to see when it's safe to return.

There is always a chance they'll abandon the nest, but it's less likely if there are squabs in the nest.

If the plant is in a semi-shaded area, you can decide what you want most, the plant or the dove nest.

An idea for the future is to place a hanging basket just for the doves with plastic foliage lining the outside edge for cover.

Be sure to hang this planter in the same or close to where they previously nested.

Be sure to scroll down for all the stories our visitors have submitted about having Doves

What is Special About A Dove Bird

Doves are special to people because of their meaning in life and what it means to people when they see a dove.

We opened a comment section for people to share the special things that doves mean to them. Feel free to read and share your comments here, Doves Mean New Life.

Citation for Mourning Doves Not Mating for Life

Blockstein, D. E. and D. Westmoreland. (1993). "., edited by T. S. Baskett, M. W. Sayre, R. E. Tomlinson and R. E. Mirarchi, 105-116. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books.

See also: Attracting Mourning Doves

More Topics:

Raising Domestic Doves

Read Stories and See Pics About Baby Doves

Stories and Pics of Nesting in Unusual Places

Pics From Our Visitors

Are Turtle Doves and Mourning Doves the Same

Encourage Nesting - Get a Nesting Shelf

 

Have A Great Story and Photo About Doves In Your Yard

(Note: Got A Question - Use The Contact Form)

All Stories MUST Have Photo and Be 800 words or more To Be Published Online

Do you have a great story and photos about Mourning Doves nesting in your backyard?

Why Not Share it! Our Visitors will love reading your story and viewing your photos. It's Easy. Just fill in the blanks below and upload your photos.

Stories Only See Above for Questions

Ready - Let's Get Started!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Mourning Doves Survive A Storm 
My plum tree has 2 mourning doves who had been dutifully taking turns sitting on their eggs. Yesterday we saw the two babies appear! Still and silent, …

Mourning Doves and Fledgling on Deck Ledge 
We camp up in Wisconsin where our travel trailer sits in a campground. The kids and I went into town and came back to two doves on the deck ledge. …

Mourning Doves on our A.C 
Hi A pair of doves started bringing twigs on our Air Conditioner outside our bedroom window Second week of May. Early morning there were tapping …

Pictures of Doves Nesting near Homes in Planters Hanging Baskets  
Hello I've taken a photo too but the same bird has returned months on and has nested on my tv Ariel but I can see the egg is just balancing and is not …

Doves in a model ship 
Doves Nesting in Strange Place a Model Ship I looked out a window with view across our carport near our entrance. I saw a dove on the branch of an …

Doves on my Fire Escape for the 2nd Time! 
Last year we returned from a summer trip (beginning of Sept 2020) and discovered doves and their squabs happily nesting on our fire escape where we live …

Mourning Dove Laying Egg With No Nest on Burglar Proof 
Something strange happened. A mourning dove rested on the burglar proofing of my front door upstairs. The door was open and the French patterned burglar …

Doves Nesting in my Flower Pot 
While cleaning up my front yard after a storm, I noticed a dove nest in one of my flower pots. I was kind of dismayed as the flower pot contained aloe …

Doves on top of air conditioner 
Hi, I'm in Ontario Canada, I have a window air conditioner that is actually through the wall and is tarped outside right now. I've lived here 12 years …

Doves survive hurricane Michael  
Our home was at the center of hurricane Michael. We stayed at home and survived the category five storm. We watched as the eye wall passed over our …

Mourning Doves - A Joy to Watch 
At the end of May, we noticed a Mourning Dove bird sitting in a nest right out side of our garage in a vine. The nest is hidden from the front, but …

Albino Mourning Dove Has Moved In 
I have been feeding and encouraging mourning doves into my yard for years! They are graceful and are lovely to watch. Then last week a beautiful …

Mourning Doves Nesting in Fairyland 
Doves Nesting on My Porch Shelf I have a plant shelf unit on my back porch, in which I have placed my geode collection. I'm an Earth Science teacher, …

What do Doves Mean for Your Life  
Doves can offer Spiritual Reassurance Three years ago a pair of morning doves built their nest in our backyard arbor which is less than 6 feet …

Baby Doves in Nest with Snow 
Baby Doves Surviving in Snow in Nest I live in Wyndmoor, PA in a 100 year old stone house. The stone seems to be very attractive to the particular …

Edwin and Myrtle 
Two years ago a pair of doves made a nest in the hanging plant just outside my front door. They had two eggs, they were hatched, and flown the coop. …

The Mourning Dove's Coo 
The Mourning Dove has been our companion for quite some time now. We have changed home thrice and somehow every home we lived in had a Mourning Dove …

Doves in Pool Skimmer 
Oops how did that skimmer get horizontal? It was finally time to clean the pool to ready it for the long hot Arizona summer. Typically a chore my …

Extra Dove Fledgling in Nest After Storm 
Around 7:30 a.m. today, while trying to wake up and get ready for work, I peeked gently through the blinds to check on the 2 fledgling Mourning Doves residing …

Rock-a-Bye Doves! 
I first thought the sounds I was hearing had to be an Owl. It was moving- in- day. Just kept hearing same sound. Finally, I was told by my boyfriend, …

Doves nesting on an Electric fan for Years. 
I found this site trying to find some information about doves and learned so much about them here. I didn't know they are called mourning doves …

Rescued Baby Dove 
When I got home from work on my street (in the middle of it) was a baby bird. I saw instantly it was a baby Mourning Dove. The parents as far …

Mourning Doves Bless and Bring Me Joy My Story 
Cleopatra & Ma Nattys Pyramid of Life & Love Our Doves Natty, what I named my mourning dove, has blessed my life/soul so much, I am so grateful and …

Doves Nesting Over Jacuzzi! 
We first noticed this mama M. Dove in a tree in our front yard last year. The tree was diseased and needed to be cut down, we waited until she and …

Click here to write your own.

No Cages for these Doves 
Several weeks ago, I had occasion to visit a large home on several acres in one of the wealthiest northern California counties. The family kept …

Dove Nest in Shoe Stand 
I live in India (Surat city - Gujarat), I am a zoologist and I always go into the field for behavioral study of animals and birds. Once I observed …

Dove Landed On My Shoulder 
Updated October 23, 2023 I Don't Know if you got my previous story about my new dove friend so I'm resubmitting. How I Met My Dove Friend …

Doves Nesting on and In 
This is the second time we have had a morning dove sitting to nest on the ground around our front porch. It's been a few years in between, but I …

Hank the -Indoor/Outdoor Mourning Dove 
We have acquired a mourning dove, and I must say, he is a breath of fresh air for us! 'Hank' was found outside back in August (2012) on the ground …

I have Doves in a hanging planter too! 
I did have a Robin nesting there around late March or early April, but it flew away every time we opened the front door (the plant hanger is to the left …

Doves nesting on patio - Worried about Crows 
A few years ago, we had a family of doves and had so much fun watching the progression from building the nest to weening the babies. Our kids were …

Doves & Panasonic Air Conditioner 
Mrs. Panasonic was the name we gave the mourning dove, for obvious reasons, that has been nesting above our air conditioner for the last four years. …

My doves in hanging fake plant! 
I've have had doves living around the house for several years. The first year she built a nest on top of a window air conditioner... a strange …

Doves Nest in Plant Container 
We live in a fully attached brick house in the southern part of Brooklyn. We are a block away from a salt creek and a few minutes from Jamaica …

My little Squirt the Dove 
Isn't it funny how life goes, just when you think things in your life are just hum drum, and you take your life for granted. And especially the …

It's Just A Rotten Egg! 
Hatching a Mourning Dove Egg On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, my granddaughter, Annastasia, found an egg in the grass in her neighborhood. The …

Doves Nesting on Carport in Garages 
A few months ago, I hired a local pest control company to screen in the corner eaves of my house because honestly, birds were becoming a nuisance. …

Ricardo the Wounded Dove 
One morning I went out to refill my Goldfinch feeders. I glanced down and realized that I almost stepped on a scrawny, tan bird. I looked …

Doves Nesting in Hanging Gardening Containers and Planters 
Doves in Our Hanging Plant Last year during nesting season we noticed a pair of doves frequenting our front porch planter. When they repeatedly …

Finding and Helping Mourning Doves 
Dove Family Reunion after Nest Relocation We moved a Dove Nest to New Location Successfully We had a storm that took out many trees in town. …

Baby Birds Born In Hanging Pot Plant  
A few weeks ago while cleaning up my back patio and watering some plants, I came across a mourning dove's nest that had appeared inside one of my hanging …

Doves Nesting on House 
Two weeks ago we opened our front door and a dove flew out of the flower pot that is on the rail of our front porch. I quickly noticed that it had made …

Doves Nesting in Hanging Plants 
We have had wonderful generations of a Dove family in this basket over and over again for the last three years. Doves Nesting in our Hanging Planter …

Broken Nest Rebuilt 
We recently found a mourning dove nest shattered on the ground inside our patio. It was obvious that the nest had fallen from a precarious position on …

Dove Nest on Patio 
Our Patio Dove Nest I recently have had the pleasure (and pain) of having a beautiful pair of mourning doves nesting on the roof overhang of my patio. …

Dove on Fire Escape 
Doves Nesting on Fire Escape Several Floors Up We are city dwellers. . . N.Y.C. that is. That means, we must go to the nearest park to find nature. …

Balcony Doves Nesting 
Since Spring of 2007, I've had mourning doves nesting in a flower box hanging off my balcony. The first year I got some pretty good pictures. That was …

Getting Doves To Use Hanging Basket 
This is the second installment on my Morning Doves along with a picture of the chicks. Late this afternoon I was looking out of the window and …

Doves Nesting On Patios and Decks 
Mourning Dove Nesting on Patio I was wondering why this dove was standing on the edge of one of my clay pot on the top shelf of my wooden planting …

Click here to write your own.

Doves Nesting in Tree 
Doves at Front Door in Tree I live in the 2nd story of an apartment complex with a few trees planted on the 1st floor in the inside area of the …

Wild Mourning Dove Turned Pet 
Wild Mourning Dove Becomes Family Pet In May of this year (2009), I was sitting in my garage with the door open, and in flew a Mourning Dove. I …

At Home In the Pines 
Doves Are Nesting in Our Pines The giant pine trees in our front yard have been a haven for many of nature's creatures over the years, and August, …

Baby Mourning Dove  
Baby Mourning Dove I went for a walk and came across a baby Mourning Dove. He was too young to be out of the nest and had a cut on his/her (not sure) …

Doves Abandoned Nest  
Doves Abandon Nest Well, my story begins in late May, or early June 2009… I was doing some gardening near my patio. I decided to take a break …

Mourning Dove Nest Abandonment 
We have a lovely mourning dove who has set up her home in our backyard. FAQ: Answered Below She and her mate are beautiful creatures that seem …

Doves on Garage Door Pictures 
I have added a picture to go along with my previously posted story... One day we were in our garage (California carport-door on one side/open …

Dove Nest In Joshua Tree 
Last year around the last week of May, I noticed a dove nest on the beam of the new patio. I can see the Dove nesting from the kitchen window. …

Doves in Hanging basket 
A pair of mourning doves filled the hanging basket outside our kitchen window. It was a delightful surprise to see them sitting there only a few feet …

My First Mourning Dove Nest 
I discovered my first Mourning Dove nest just yesterday. I hung a new petunia and then had to go out of town for 2 days. Dove Nesting in Petunia …

Doves On My Deck - Again! 
LAST YEAR!! While sipping my Sunday morning coffee, I turned to look out of the kitchen window to notice a Mourning Dove sitting in one of my flower …

Doves in Wreath on Front Door 
Doves Make Nest in Wreath When I first saw the morning doves building a nest in the wreath on my front door, I thought of pulling the twigs …

Doves Nesting On Moms Porch 
Visiting my mother recently I saw a mourning dove nesting on top of a pillar under the porch roof. Not unusual, though last year they selected …

Doves nesting in Patio Planter 
Dove Nest in Patio Planter One morning last week I was sitting out on my back patio enjoying the spring day when I noticed a dove 20 ft out …

Baby doves 
Baby Doves I first noticed the dove nesting in my hanging flower pot just outside the window in late February. As much as I love sitting …

Young Squab Mourning Dove Stories 
Hi again! This is the 3rd round of baby doves to arrive since May. The first time around we didn't see the parents switching places on the …

Doves Nesting in Strange Places Gutters, Patios on Chairs 
A couple of months ago my husband and I were startled from a bird flying from our patio ceiling fan after we had turned on the light the fans came on and …

Penny and Benny Dove 
I observed a pair of mourning doves hanging out on the fire escape across the way from my 6th-floor apartment in Greenwich Village. The …

Mommas Babies 
Momma Dove and Her Babies I was watering my plants one evening and was startled by a big plump dove snugly tucked in my hanging flowerpot. To an …

Places Doves Choose to Nest 
Balcony Doves I had just gotten home from house-sitting for a few days and noticed some stuff laying on my chairs on my balcony, I figured I would …

Watering Plants With Dove Nest Stories From New Birders 
Question: Should I water the hanging plant? Mourning Doves nested in a hanging plant that hangs a couple of feet from the window in our den. …

Mourning Doves On My Porch 
Doves Nest in My Hanging Plant For the last two years, my family and I have had a family of mourning doves nesting in a hanging plant on my front …

Doves In Patio Covering 
Our Doves Nesting in Patio Covering I love this site! Thank you. I am a huge bird-lover (cat and dog lover, too). Have 2 hummingbird hangers in our …

Doves Nesting In Unusual Locations 
A little over a year ago we noticed a pair "checking out" a little nook in our patio, on top of a 4X6. Soon they were busy building a nest. It seemed …

Doves in Hanging Plant 
Yesterday, I noticed a dove nesting in my hanging plant, which hangs from the eave of my ramada, or outdoor patio. Unfortunately, one of my cats noticed …

Click here to write your own.

Morning Doves Nesting In My Hanging Plants. 
Doves Nesting in Hanging Plant I found doves nesting at my house. I came across them when watering my hanging plants that hang well above …

Click here to write your own.