Mourning Dove Nest Eggs
Mourning doves can be afflicted with several different parasites and diseases including tapeworms nematodes mites and lice.
Mourning dove nest eggs. The mourning doves coo may sound sad but bird watchers know that it signals the beginning of this birds habits of nesting claiming territory and raising young. It always amazes me where a bird may decide to build a nest and these birds are no exception. The gestation period for most doves is 14 to. Mourning doves will try to build nests in the most unlikely and unsuitable places imaginable such as on a narrow beam a sloping roof or a ledge where one wrong move can spell disaster.
An average size of a mourning dove is about 9 14 inches 22 36 cm. Because once the eggs hatch baby doves squabs become easy victims of extreme weather and natural predation. Doves are capable of laying small clutches of eggs at least three times each year. Members of a pair preen each other with gentle nibbles around the neck as a pair bonding ritual.
They may abandon both eggs and nestlings if they feel threatened by predators or curious humans and look for a new nesting site. The mourning doves coo begins season of nesting and feeding. Exercise caution while nest watching as doves are flighty birds. Mourning doves reject slightly under a third of cowbird eggs in such nests and the mourning dove s vegetarian diet is unsuitable for cowbirds.
Cowbirds rarely parasitize mourning dove nests. Unbothered by nesting around humans mourning doves may even nest on gutters eaves or abandoned equipment. Additionally doves may abandon the nest if it s attacked by biting insects like ants mice or lice. This scenario is less likely with mourning doves as they usually lay only two eggs and the parents take turns sitting on the nest once the incubation process has started.
They often incubate two eggs at once laying the eggs within several hours of each other but not beginning to incubate the eggs until both are laid to ensure the eggs hatch at the same time. Also quite commonly nests on the ground particularly in the west. Eventually the pair will progress to grasping beaks and bobbing their heads up and down in unison. Typically nests amid dense foliage on the branch of an evergreen orchard tree mesquite cottonwood or vine.
Mourning doves sometimes reuse their own or other species nests. Mourning doves can live up to 5 years if they survive their first year. According to the wild bird watching site their mortality rate is 75 percent in their first year. Mourning dove nesting habits lead to nests on horizontal branches of evergreen and orchard trees on man made structures such as porch eaves and on the ground.