In August, it seems like Eastern doves are everywhere. Their slender grey-brown bodies sit on telephone wires, in backyards, in fields, and on overgrown highway plains. They converge in late September, flying overhead with powerful strokes. Bird groups numbering 10 to 20 take flight in a southern direction. Their underside feathers catch the faded gold of late-summer sunlight. When the pigeon flocks start to flee, autumn is on the way.
Mourning Dove Nature
The mushroom dove is a Columbidae. This bird dominates North America’s migratory landscape with its vast presence. Pigeons breed in southern and western Canada, the lower 48 states, and most of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. They winter in Massachusetts, southern Michigan, Nebraska, and southern California down to Panama. Common names include the turtle dove, mountain dove, wood pigeon, and rain dove. Biology An adult mushroom dove, Zenaida maculora, weighs 100-140 grams. It is 25-33 centimeters long from beak to tail. Pigeons are smaller and more streamlined than doves, their close relatives. They have long, pointed tails and tapered wings that are 17 to 19 inches wide. They have long necks, small heads, and thin, short, black beaks. Pigeons have gray wings. Their backs, rumps, and central tail feathers are grayish-brown. The lateral tail feathers are bluish-gray with black stripes and white tips. The tips flash when the bird flies. Tan, brownish feathers cover young pigeons. Adult females are olive to brown all over. Adult males have a pink chest, slate-gray neck and crown, and an olive back. Adult males often have iridescent markings on their necks. Both sexes may have small black spots on their cheeks under their eyes. This species has a distinctive call. It accounts for half of the “mourning” in its name. It is a hollow, plaintive “woo, coo, coo, coo.” You may only hear the last three notes, depending on the distance. Males use this call to attract females, to bond with them after mating, and to scare off other males. Females may coo in response, but this is weak and often inaudible. Another distinctive sound is the whistle made by the bird’s wings as it flies. Pigeons are useful in that they eat the seeds of pest plants and thus generally do not damage crops. Food includes weed seeds and grain waste. Together, they make up 98 percent of a pigeon’s diet. Pigeons also eat some insects, snails, and slugs. Pigeons do not cling to stalks or scratch at food, but peck at seeds on the ground. Favorite weeds include croton, foxtail, knotweed, ragweed, and various grass and sedge seeds. They eat grains left in the ground by machines. These include corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, and buckwheat.
They flock to garden bird feeders, devouring diverse seeds on offer. Some plants, like croton and foxtail grass, have tiny seeds. Some pigeons have 13,900 seeds: 7,500 croton and 6,400 foxtail. Sand helps to break down food. Animals can ingest it as gravel, ash, glass, or other small, hard substances. Pigeons are often seen on the roadside eating sand. In addition to food and sand, pigeons also need water every day. They migrate to streams, rivers, and ponds at dawn and dusk. Small flocks of pigeons return to Pennsylvania in early March. Most arrive in mid-March to April. Some pigeons also winter in Pennsylvania. Song studies suggest that birds returning to breed in Pennsylvania. May have wintered on the southeast coast of NC, SC, GA, and FL. Males select nesting sites and defend them by flying toward and pecking at other males. He calls to attract females and performs a nuptial flight in a large oval pattern. The pair mates and selects a nesting site. They spend the next 4-6 days building the nest. They sometimes use an empty mockingbird, robin, or grackle nest as a platform. A pigeon constructs its nest with sticks and typically has little or no lining. Though the ground can see the eggs through the branches, the nest is strong despite its frail look. They are usually 10-25 feet tall, up to 50 feet. Coniferous branches build them at the forks. Alternatively, bushes and vines may entangle them or they may build them on the ground. Pigeons now nest in man-made structures. They are often under porches and decks. Two to three days after the nest is complete, the female lays the first egg. A second egg arrives two days later, and incubation begins soon after. (Rarely, a third egg is laid.) The eggs are ovoid to elliptical, shiny, white, and unspeckled. We share breeding and incubation duties. The male incubates the eggs during the day, the female at night. The eggs hatch after 14-15 days. The chicks, or young pigeons, are naked, blind, and dependent on their parents. In the first few days, the young pigeons are fed a mix of small seeds and a nutritious liquid called “pigeon milk.” It is secreted by the adult birds through their skin (the upper part of their digestive tract). This “milk” is a chalky white, nutrient-rich liquid. It has antioxidants and immune-boosting proteins. The parents regurgitate it and feed it to their young. Seeds become the dominant food source in the young pigeon’s diet. Fourteen days pass, and the young gain full plumage and exit nests. They are independent. The adults are ready to produce more chicks.
The nesting cycle lasts just over a month. It involves laying eggs, raising chicks, and caring for them until they leave the nest. Adult birds may attempt to nest up to five times during the summer. The typical nesting season is March to August. Doves have nested in Pennsylvania as early as late February and not until early October. With about half of the chicks successful, adult pairs produce an average of four to six chicks. Weather can be a significant factor in mortality. Spring and summer storms with strong winds blow nests, eggs, and chicks from trees. Heavy rain and hail can kill adult birds as well as chicks. Nest thieves include blue jays, starlings, crows, squirrels, snakes, and house cats. Adult birds are hunted by hawks and owls. Disease and accidents further reduce pigeon numbers. Seventy to eighty percent of newly hatched pigeons do not survive the year. So, of 100 pigeons hatched one summer, only 20 to 30 survive the next summer. If the young survive their first year, the decline is somewhat slower. Mortality among adults is 60 percent. Chick feather development is complete about two weeks after leaving the nest. They then form small flocks where they eat and sleep. Migration of all age groups is in full swing from mid-September to early October. Flocks of 20 or more birds migrate together. They fly in the morning, rest and feed at midday, fly in the afternoon, feed in the evening, and sleep at night. Some birds spend the whole year in Pennsylvania if the winter weather is not too severe. This percentage of the population seems to have risen over time. It may be due, in part, to increased food consumption by humans. Because Carolina pigeons are migratory birds, they are subject to federal regulation. Like with waterfowl, states set hunting seasons and quotas in the U.S. The Fish and Wildlife Service set the framework. Dove hunting has been practiced in Pennsylvania since 1945.
Nesting Cycle of Dove
The nesting cycle lasts just over a month. It involves laying eggs, raising chicks, and caring for them until they leave the nest. Adult birds may attempt to nest up to five times during the summer. The typical nesting season is March to August. However, in Pennsylvania, doves have been seen nesting as early as late February. They may not breed until the first week of October. With about half of the chicks successful, adult pairs produce an average of four to six chicks. Weather can be a significant factor in mortality. Spring and summer storms with strong winds blow nests, eggs, and chicks from trees. Heavy rain and hail can kill adult birds as well as chicks. Nest thieves include blue jays, starlings, crows, squirrels, snakes, and house cats. Hawks and owls hunt adult birds. Disease and accidents further reduce pigeon numbers. Seventy to eighty percent of newly hatched pigeons fail to live a year. So, of 100 pigeons hatched one summer, only 20-30 survive the next summer. If the young survive their first year, the decline is somewhat slower. Mortality among adults is 60 percent. Chick feather development is complete about two weeks after leaving the nest. They then form small flocks where they eat and sleep. Migration of all age groups is in full swing from mid-September to early October. Flocks of 20 or more birds migrate together.
Morning brings flight, followed by midday rest and feeding. Afternoon skies are filled with birds in flight once more. Evening arrives with another round of feeding. Night falls, and they settle in for sleep.
Some birds spend the whole year in Pennsylvania if the winter weather is not too severe. This percentage of the population seems to have increased over time. This may be due, in part, to increased food consumption by humans. Because Carolina pigeons are migratory birds, they are subject to federal regulation. Like waterfowl, states set hunting seasons and quotas in the U.S. The Fish and Wildlife Service set the framework. Dove hunting has been practiced in Pennsylvania since 1945.
