[two_third last=”no”]

[title size=”2″]Mourning Dove[/title]

The mourning dove is a small grayish-brown bird adorned with black spots measuring about a foot in length from beak to tail. Its neutral colors permit it to blend into its surroundings. This particular dove belongs to the family columbidae, which is related to pigeons and doves. The mourning dove has a small, rounded head that sits atop a rounded, smooth chest, whose body ends in a pointed tail. These doves have short beaks that are brown or black in color, with short red-tinged legs whose perching feet boast three toes facing forward and one facing backward.  Their long, pointed tail is a unique attribute among doves in North America. The dove’s eyes are a dark color surrounded by a thin, tan-colored circle. The mourning dove makes a distinct call that sounds like a lament, hence its name. They make a long “coo-OO-ooo” sound, followed by several more long coos. Mourning doves are fairly common and apart from deeply wooded areas, they can be seen in many different places. They are most commonly found in open fields, crop fields, prairies, and even perched upon telephone poles. Mourning doves are thought to precede man’s presence in North America, and they have been an incredibly resilient species for centuries.

Various agricultural practices from crop farming to forest clearing have benefited mourning doves as these practices clear space for the birds to gather food. Mourning doves primarily eat seeds. Moreover, each time they “hunt” for seeds they do not always eat them immediately, but may store them for later. Although they prefer seeds as their main source of nutrients, these doves also occasionally feed on insects. Young doves, called squabs, are fed from the adult crop gland for a week after they are born. They are then weaned off this secretion and transitioned into eating seeds. When mourning doves mate, it is typically a result of a monogamous pairing. Their courtship season occurs in April. After mating, female mourning doves usually lay two eggs at a time in a nest for an incubation period of two weeks. The squabs are fully matured at about two weeks of age. Mating season occurs between late March and early September. After the pair has successfully created their first nest, they will continuously attempt to procreate during this period. One pair may have up to as many as seven nesting attempts. Juveniles learn to flock in July and August. By mid-October, most doves fly south for the winter. If food is plentiful and they have adequate roosting sites, some mourning doves are known to stay in the area during the winter. As a result, mourning doves can be seen throughout the year in many of their North American habitats, including the Ozarks. Mourning doves are popular game for hunters. In addition to falling victim to hunters, mourning doves are the prey of many animals including snakes, hawks and skunks.

[/two_third]

Zenaida macroura

[one_third last=”yes”]

[/one_third]