My Mourning Dove Cam Trivia Quiz

Answer: blue-gray

The crown on a female's head is gray-brown. In addition, the male breast has a reddish tint and the female breast is colored brown or tan. The male mourning dove is usually slightly larger than the female, but this may be hard to spot.

The mourning dove itself is generally blue-gray or brown-gray with white on the tip of the tail. The bill is colored black and they have red legs and feet.

Answer: They can suck up the water

Most birds must fill their beak and the lean their head back to swallow the water. However, birds of the order Columbiformes can drink by sucking up the water. The order Columbiformes includes pigeons and doves (and the extinct dodo), and is made up of over 300 species.

The mourning dove has been observed to drink most often during early morning and late evening, and are not particular about whether the water is found in a standing or flowing water source.

Answer: Yes

Mourning doves are monogamous during the nesting season, even sometimes over several seasons. They can produce up to six broods in season, each generally the size of two eggs.

When courtship begins, the male begins to coo while flying. He may display himself by flying high and then gliding back to earth. After landing the male will dance around the female while puffing up the breast feathers. Both partners will often preen each other.

Answer: female

The male generally shows the female several nest sites and she selects one. Then the male will bring nest construction supplies such as twigs, pine needles and grass and the female will build the nest. Their nests are not sturdy, and may be found in trees, bushes or on the ground.

If the nest is threatened, the mourning dove may distract the predator by dragging a wing as if it has been broken only to fly away when the predator approaches.

Answer: white

Both parents incubate the eggs, taking turns so that the other can feed. When the squabs are hatched they are helpless and begin feeding from a milk created from the parents' crop. Gradually seeds are added to the regurgitated food. The young mourning doves leave the nest when they are between two and three weeks old.

Answer: No

When the squabs leave the nest, the father mourning dove will continue to feed them until they are about thirty days old. The mother mourning dove will return to the nest to lay and begin incubating the second clutch of eggs. The mortality rate for the mourning doves is high, and they may attempt up to six clutches in a mating season.

Answer: Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918)

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service mourning doves are the most hunted bird in North America. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act stipulates that while the mourning doves can be hunted in a habitat that would be attractive to them, it must not be baited; it has to be a natural habitat.

Because the mourning doves feed mostly on seed, agricultural areas are a popular place for them to feed. For example, a field that has been aerially seeded could be hunted because the seeds are there as part of the normal planting process. However, a pile of seeds placed solely to attract the mourning doves would be considered baiting.

Answer: Yes

Two diseases are generally associated with the mourning doves, avian pox and avian trichomoniasis. Avian pox will generally be visible because of warts growing on the unfeathered parts of the bird. Avian trichomoniasis is harder to spot. It is a parasite that causes swelling in the mouth, esophagus and crop, and if severe enough will prevent the bird from feeding.

Both of these diseases can be spread at bird feeders and watering spots. Keeping these areas clean can help prevent the spread of the disease.

Answer: seeds

The mourning dove does not scratch the ground for food, but eats what is easily visible. Seeds generally make up over 95% of their diet, and they can often be found around agricultural sites eating seed in storage or spilled after harvest.

The mourning dove will also ingest sand and gravel to help with digestion.

Answer: Canada to Panama

The mourning doves may migrate during spring and fall. However, if food is plentiful, including bird feeders, the birds may choose to stay through the winter. When the weather gets colder and they do begin to migrate, generally the young go first, the females next, and lastly, the males. During their migration they prefer to travel overland and generally progress about ten miles a day.