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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing mourning doves. As a kid I thought these birds were morning doves, like the first part of the day, it wasn't until I was an adult I realized they were mourning doves, like the emotion, because of their call! They sound like they're mourning. This call isn't because they're sad, though. Male mourning doves call like this to let others around them know they're available as a mate!

These birds range from Canada to Northern Mexico. Of the approximate 300 dove species alive today, mourning doves are part of fewer than a dozen that are native to the United States! They prefer open areas or edge habitats and have benefited from forest clearing and agriculture as this has provided them more liveable areas. Like other doves, mourning doves drink freshwater and need it in their habitat to survive. Individuals from the northern parts of their range migrate to warmer areas during the winter, but those in warmer areas may live there year round.

These birds are prolific. In a single breeding season they may have anywhere from three to over six nests with more nests occurring the further south they live. Mourning doves are monogamous through a breeding season. The male makes his mournful calls to attract a female and then they get to work constructing a nest, we'll, sort of. Mourning dove nests are notoriously haphazard at best. They're basically just a pile of loose twigs and leaves. The female lays two eggs and both parents incubate them for just over two weeks. The babies are able to leave the nest another two weeks after hatching and are on their own after a month. They can breed before they're even six months old!

It's important these birds breed so frequently because they're susceptible to predation. Mourning dove predators include squirrels, blue jays, rat snakes, and other nest invaders as well as owls and hawks who can catch adults. Though mourning doves are quick on their wings and agile in the air, peregrine falcons can snatch them up as a tasty meal. Humans hunt mourning doves, as well. In fact, they're some of the most hunted game birds in the U.S.! Most mourning doves don't make it to the second year of life, but they've been documented living two or more decades especially in protected regions where hunting is illegal.

Male mourning doves are slightly larger than females and come with a blue tint to their heads and a pink tint to their breasts. On average, these birds have an eighteen inch (46cm) wingspan and weigh just over four ounces (113g). That's just a little bit heavier than a deck of cards. Those living in the east are slightly larger and darker than those living westward.

Plant material, specifically seeds, makes up most of a mourning dove's diet. Aside from seeds they eat grains, snails, and insects, and they swallow small pebbles and sand particles, called grit, to help break up their food. Mourning doves typically forge on the ground and fill their crop with food. Then they find a horizontal branch on which to perch where they'll sit, sometimes for hours, and digest. If startled, mourning doves take to the air. Their wings make a whistling sound during take-off which may startle predators or warn others in the area of potential danger.

For more facts on mourning doves, check out the links below. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today. Thank you to our Patrons SpikeSpiegel93, Dad, and everyone else for their support of this channel! And thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!