The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is one of the most widespread and recognizable birds across North America, known for its sleek profile and the melancholy, soft cooing call that gives the species its name. This gentle vocalization contributes to the common perception of the dove as a symbol of peace and tranquility. While these birds are generally peaceful and non-confrontational, they exhibit specific behaviors, particularly during the breeding season, that can be easily mistaken for aggression by an unfamiliar observer. These actions are typically ritualized displays of courtship, territory defense, or dominance, rather than true hostility.
Temperament and General Behavior
Mourning Doves are inherently docile birds, often ranking low on the scale of avian aggression when compared to more visibly territorial species like American Robins or Blue Jays. Their primary defensive strategy is to flee rather than engage in a fight, relying on their strong, straight flight pattern to escape potential threats. This preference for evasion is a defining characteristic of their baseline personality.
Their social structure further minimizes conflict outside of the breeding season. Mourning Doves are frequently observed in mated pairs or congregating in small, loose flocks, particularly when foraging for seeds on the ground. This cooperative grouping behavior reduces individual competition and allows for shared vigilance against predators.
As primarily granivores, they scatter to feed on the ground, avoiding the intense competition sometimes seen at concentrated food sources. They spend a large portion of their day quietly foraging and digesting, often retreating to a safe, elevated perch to allow their crop to process collected seeds. This placid routine reinforces the public’s perception of them as gentle backyard visitors.
Interpreting Territorial and Mating Displays
The most common behaviors observers interpret as fighting are complex, ritualized displays related to establishing pair bonds or defending a small nesting area. One of the clearest examples is the male’s “Bow-Coo,” a courtship and territorial ritual where the male puffs up his neck feathers, lowers his head, and performs a series of distinct cooing calls. This display serves to attract a mate and signal ownership of the immediate area to rival males.
Brief, fast-paced aerial chases appear aggressive but are usually a form of social communication, often referred to as a three-bird chase. This sequence typically involves a mated male pursuing an unmated male who has approached his female or territory. The chase’s function is to disperse rivals and reinforce the pair’s bond and spatial isolation rather than to inflict physical harm.
Physical contact, such as wing-slapping or short-distance pecking, is typically a final warning used to establish a dominance hierarchy over a choice feeding or perching spot. When a dove directs this behavior toward a non-dove species or an object, it is a territorial warning intended to make the bird appear larger and more intimidating. Sometimes, a dove exhibits displaced aggression by attacking its own reflection in a window or mirror, perceiving the image as a territorial intruder during the breeding season.
Managing Doves Around Feeders and Nests
Doves often dominate ground feeding stations, leading to perceived conflicts with smaller birds who may be displaced from the easiest access to food. To reduce this competition, homeowners can scatter their preferred food, such as millet or cracked corn, widely across an open patch of ground. This technique encourages the doves to spread out while allowing other, shyer species to access different feeder types.
Using specialized bird feeders can also help manage their presence, as doves are generally too large and heavy to comfortably feed from small, hanging tube feeders designed for songbirds. Platform feeders placed on the ground or a pole are more accommodating to their size and feeding style. Placing these a short distance away from other feeders can help reduce direct conflict, diffusing the perceived aggression over resources.
If a Mourning Dove chooses to nest in a visible or inconvenient location, remember that the conflict is temporary. The entire nesting cycle, from incubation of the two-egg clutch to the young fledging, takes only about four weeks. Doves are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and it is best to allow the pair to complete their nesting cycle, as intervening can cause the parents to abandon the nest.