While feeding birds as a youngster, I watched doves pecking away at the seeds the cardinals would knock to the ground. They were one of the easiest birds for me to identify, but initially I was calling them the wrong name. They were mourning doves, but I thought they were named morning doves. Dad corrected me by asking me to listen to their plaintive calls: oah, Coo, Coo, Coo. “Son, they sound like they are sad and in mourning.”

Another nature lesson. …

Doves feed mostly on the ground, pecking at seeds, but I have seen them try to land on feeding trays. They feed primarily on small seeds, preferring seeds of grasses such as foxtails. Even though farmers and dove hunters often chase them from corn fields, they are more than likely eating the smaller, finer seeds of grasses rather than corn.

For the first few days of a dove’s life, they are fed a regurgitated “pigeons’ milk,” quite unusual for birds. After about 15 days, they leave the nest on their own.

I tried an experiment by using shelled corn to feed them. (I sometimes have nearly two dozen doves.) I thought it would save me buying a bit more expensive bird seed, however they seldom ate it. They do eat the white millet, and I found they like the smaller pieces of cracked corn I now add to the backyard buffet.

Doves, like rabbits, are quite prolific. They lay eggs (usually two) almost every 30 days, so they normally have about 10 young each year. However, they are not the best nest builders. Both the males and females build the nest very quickly, and it is often so thin you can sometimes see the eggs through the bottom of the nest.

They prefer nesting in conifers, mostly 10 feet or more off the ground, but I found one in an old rusting metal gutter on a farm outbuilding and even in a fork of a plum tree.

The reason I mentioned poorly built nests is because it is one of their limiting factors. Strong winds from a thunderstorm, or even a hasty exit from the nest by a frightened bird can dislodge the eggs.

Doves are very streamlined and adept fliers. They make a whistling sound as they take off with their rapid wing beats. They are predominantly olive-brown in color, short-legged, and weigh about 5 ounces. The male mourning dove does the calling, and from late winter through much of the summer you may hear him calling from your roof or a backyard limb. Alighting on the ground, he will puff up his feathers and call while closely following his mate in hopes of breeding. It is a comical sight to watch.

Doves do migrate, although some will overwinter. Because they migrate, their hunting seasons are regulated by the federal government in the same manner as waterfowl. Look for their biggest numbers in September when you may find dozens perched on utility wires along fields. Those numbers decrease as the shortening days send many of them southward.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: A “timber doodle” is _________. A. a young mourning dove, B. a type of mushroom, C. an American woodcock, D. a happy couples’ initials carved into a tree.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Since DDT use stopped in North America, populations of osprey, peregrines and brown pelicans have rebounded nicely.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.