Fun Facts About Mourning Doves
All Things Birdie listed several fun facts about the mourning dove, which is a close relative of the pigeon, yet has unique anatomy and specialized cooing mechanisms that produce their distinct call.
As the earth defrosts from winter’s chill, the sound of the mourning dove’s coo heralds the coming of spring and the promise of warmer days. Their call is sometimes mistaken for an owl’s hooting, due to its hollow-like resonance. They are easy to find and observe, as they tend to hang out in the same habitats as humans.
The narrator also discusses their seed-heavy diet, unique drinking habits, role as prolific breeders across various habitats, and ability to produce crop milk.
Both males and females share equally in incubating the eggs and taking care of the young…both parents feed their chicks crop milk for the first three to five days of Lifecrop milk is secreted by the cells in the wall of the crop and is rich in fats and protein afterward, softer foods like regurgitated seeds are introduced.
