Mourning doves are a common sight across North America, recognized by their soft cooing and graceful flight. These birds are highly adaptable and thrive in various habitats, from rural farmlands to suburban gardens. Understanding the timeline from egg laying to hatching provides insight into the life cycle of these familiar birds.
The Incubation Timeline
Mourning dove eggs typically hatch after an incubation period of about 14 days. Both the male and female mourning doves share the responsibility of incubation, ensuring the eggs are continuously kept warm.
The male usually takes the daytime shift, incubating the eggs from morning until late afternoon. The female then takes over for the night and into the early morning hours. This shared duty helps protect the eggs from predators and maintain a stable temperature.
The Nesting and Laying Process
Mourning doves construct flimsy, shallow nests from twigs, pine needles, and grass stems. They build their nests in a variety of locations, including shrubs, conifers, deciduous trees, and sometimes even on building ledges or other artificial structures.
The male dove gathers the nesting materials, bringing them to the female who then arranges them to construct the nest. This process is often completed within two to four days. Once the nest is ready, the female usually lays two pure white eggs, typically one egg per day. A pair of mourning doves can produce multiple broods in a single year, sometimes as many as five or six in warmer climates.
Life After Hatching
Newly hatched mourning dove chicks, called squabs, are altricial, meaning they are helpless at birth. They hatch with their eyes closed and are covered in a sparse, ivory-colored down, entirely dependent on their parents for warmth and nourishment.
Both parents feed the squabs “crop milk” or “pigeon milk,” a high-protein, high-fat secretion produced in the parents’ crops and regurgitated directly to the young. For the first few days, the squabs consume only crop milk. After about three to four days, seeds are gradually introduced into their diet alongside the crop milk. Typically, doves fledge, or leave the nest, when they are about 11 to 15 days old. Even after leaving the nest, they may remain close to their parents for an additional one to two weeks, continuing to be fed.