Mourning doves, with their gentle cooing and widespread presence, are a familiar sight. Found in urban areas, suburban gardens, and open country, their behaviors are often observed. A common question arises: are these peaceful birds territorial or social?
Social Nature of Mourning Doves
Mourning doves are generally social birds, often observed foraging and resting in groups outside of the breeding season. They typically gather in flocks, especially during fall and winter, to seek food and communal roosting sites. This flocking behavior allows them to move nomadically to areas with abundant food resources, such as seeds, which constitute nearly their entire diet. Their interactions within these groups are largely peaceable.
These birds do not maintain permanent territories or home ranges like many other bird species. Instead, their social structure allows for communal feeding on the ground, where they peck at seeds. This cooperative approach means large populations can coexist in areas providing sufficient food and water.
Nesting Season Behavior
While generally social, mourning doves exhibit localized defensive behaviors during their breeding season. A mated pair establishes a nesting area, becoming protective of their nest site and young. This defense is typically confined to the immediate vicinity of the nest and is primarily aimed at perceived threats or other doves.
Males may display aggression towards other males, particularly when competing for a female or defending a favored “cooing perch” used to attract a mate. Such actions, including puffing up feathers and chasing intruders, serve to secure breeding opportunities and protect their offspring. This temporary territoriality ensures the successful raising of their broods.
Interpreting Their Actions and Sounds
Mourning doves produce distinct vocalizations and perform specific actions that can sometimes be misinterpreted as aggression or territoriality. The soft, drawn-out cooing sound is predominantly a male’s courtship call. Males often coo from a prominent perch to attract females, defending these specific singing sites from rivals.
Their flight also produces a unique sound; air rushing through their wings creates a sharp whistling noise, especially during takeoff and landing. This wing whistle can also function as an alarm, prompting other birds to take flight. Behaviors like chasing or bowing are frequently part of courtship rituals or social dominance displays among males. For example, a “three-bird chase” involves a mated male leading, an unmated male pursuing, and the female following, indicating a social display related to mating.