Doves, often heard cooing during the day, sometimes extend into the quiet hours of the night. This unusual nighttime vocalization can pique curiosity. While doves are primarily active during daylight, their occasional cooing after dark is a fascinating behavior driven by various biological and environmental factors. This article explores why doves coo at night.
Primary Motivations for Nighttime Cooing
Doves coo at night for reasons linked to their reproductive cycles, territorial defense, and responses to their environment. These vocalizations serve specific purposes for the birds.
During breeding season, doves may extend their cooing into the night as part of their courtship and pair-bonding. Male doves primarily produce these calls to attract mates, and the quiet of night can make their vocalizations more effective over longer distances. Paired doves might also exchange softer coos after dark to maintain their bond and communicate their location.
Cooing also functions as territorial assertion, even after daylight hours. Male doves use calls to mark and defend territory, warning off intruders. If a dove perceives a threat or another dove encroaching on its space, it may vocalize at night to reinforce its claim.
Environmental factors influence nighttime cooing. Artificial light pollution from urban areas can disrupt a dove’s natural circadian rhythms, potentially causing them to be more active and vocal. Increased light at night can alter their perception of day length, which can influence their hormonal cycles and breeding behaviors. Urban noise, while seemingly a deterrent, can also prompt doves to vocalize at night or adjust their calls to be heard, as they might sing louder or at different frequencies to overcome background noise.
Clarifying Dove Nocturnal Behavior
Despite nighttime cooing, doves are diurnal birds, active primarily during the day. They spend daylight hours foraging, tending to nests, and engaging in social interactions. As evening approaches, doves settle down to roost in trees or sheltered locations.
Nighttime cooing is an exception to their usual patterns, rather than an indication of a shift to nocturnal behavior. These vocalizations are triggered by specific circumstances, such as the drive to find a mate during breeding season or environmental disturbances. The softer, less frequent nature of their nighttime coos also differentiates them from the louder, more consistent calls of truly nocturnal birds.
The species most commonly heard cooing at night are those well-adapted to human environments. Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) are widely recognized for their distinctive, often mournful, cooing sound, and they are frequently heard vocalizing after dark. Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptoperca decaocto), an introduced species that has successfully spread across North America, also exhibit nighttime cooing, especially in urban and suburban settings. These birds demonstrate adaptability, adjusting their behaviors to survive and reproduce in diverse habitats.