Mourning doves are a familiar sight across North America, often seen foraging in backyards or perched on utility wires. Characterized by their soft cooing and slender appearance, these widespread birds serve as a food source for various predators, playing a role in the natural cycle of predation.
Predators from the Sky
Avian predators, including various hawks and falcons, threaten adult mourning doves during flight or from elevated perches. Hawks like the Cooper’s Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk are agile raptors specializing in hunting other birds, making mourning doves a common part of their diet, often employing swift aerial pursuits, ambushing doves from concealed positions or during rapid dives. Larger, more generalist Red-tailed Hawks also prey on mourning doves. Falcons, particularly the Peregrine Falcon, are renowned for their incredible speed and precision, intercepting doves mid-flight during their stoops. The distinct whistling sound of a mourning dove’s wings upon takeoff can alert these airborne hunters.
Ground-Dwelling Hunters
Mourning doves spend time on the ground foraging for seeds, making them vulnerable to terrestrial predators. Domestic cats, both pets and feral populations, are a common threat, stalking and ambushing them in suburban and rural areas. Raccoons, opportunistic omnivores, hunt mourning doves on the ground, especially at night when doves might be roosting. Foxes and coyotes, common canids across North America, also prey on mourning doves. These predators use stealth, speed, and opportunistic hunting to capture doves, often targeting them when feeding or when young birds are still developing flight capabilities.
Stealthy Nest Raiders
Mourning dove nests, flimsy platforms in trees or shrubs, are vulnerable to predators that raid eggs and nestlings. Snakes, such as rat snakes, are nest predators, capable of climbing to access nests and consuming eggs or young birds. Their nocturnal activity allows them to raid nests undetected. Corvids like crows and jays prey on mourning dove eggs and nestlings, as these intelligent birds search for nests and exploit their poor concealment. Squirrels and opossums, adept climbers, also raid nests, consuming eggs and young doves.
How Doves Evade Danger
Mourning doves use several defense mechanisms against predators. Their flight is rapid and erratic, making them difficult targets for pursuing predators. When startled, their wings produce a distinct whistling sound, which signals alarm to other doves, prompting them to take flight. Their dull, muted brown and gray plumage provides effective camouflage, allowing them to blend seamlessly with their surroundings, especially when feeding on the ground or nesting. If a nest is threatened, an adult dove may perform a “broken-wing” display, fluttering as if injured to lure a predator away from the nest.