Are they morning doves, or mourning doves?

[Mizmoon]

Anyone know?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. The latter

they sound sorrowful

[Mizmoon]

3. They're so peaceful to watch, so comforting

They don't seem like they're mourning to me ... they look contented.

But what do I know ...

[RebelOne]

5. And those peaceful birds are also shot for sport

in many states.

[Mizmoon]

8. That's the lamest sport I ever heard of

how utterly retarded.

[Shrek]

13. They're not really hunted for sport

They're hunted for food, because they're tasty. Ethical hunters eat what they shoot and don't hunt solely for sport.

John Kerry is an enthusiastic dove hunter.

[Mizmoon]

15. Well, as much as I love Kerry

I hope some dove pecks him really fucking hard some time. What a lame ass thing to do.

[skygazer]

2. Mourning

As per Peterson's Field Guides.

[mourningdove92]

4. the latter, and hey, I Should Know!!

hehehe

[democrat in Tallahassee]

6. ever heard the sound one makes? sounds like its crying

[Mizmoon]

11. They seem like they're cooing to me

But I have only been observing them for a few days. They are near my workplace and I just love watching them walk around, pecking gently at the ground while they coo away. The squirrels hang out with them, and they all go about their business, paying each other no mind. It's a very nice scene.

[Rowdyboy]

7. We have two seperate families in our yard...

They're really pretty

[Atlas Mugged]

9. I have hundreds

But I live on what my friends refer to as an "estate". I suppose it is, with almost 7 acres and surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. Anyway, I've got (at last count) 18 bird feeders of different types. The things I get on my pond during migration are really incredible.

[Mizmoon]

10. That sounds so lovely

I guess you live upstate? I lived up there for 7 years ... what city are you near?

[Atlas Mugged]

16. Yes, upstate.

I'm south of Rochester and Buffalo - kind of in the middle. Wyoming County - the closest "city" would be Arcade. I moved here in 1992 after years of living in major cities in the States and Europe. It was time for solitude, wildlife and gardening. I still travel a lot, though.

[China_cat]

14. Make sure you scatter

some seed. Mourning doves are ground feeders.

[Atlas Mugged]

17. Don't need to!

There's seed EVERYWHERE under the feeders from the Bluejays who love to scatter it. Also, I have a large tray feeder that the Doves are fond of. Besides, if I didn't have seed on the ground I wouldn't get to see the Indigo Buntings in the Spring, which never cease to amaze me. And, in the Winter, the flocks of wild Turkeys dig the snow up to reveal the seed, much to the pleasure of the Doves.

BTW, when the Hummingbirds are here I have 3 quart sized glass feeders that I have to fill on a daily basis. I have quite a Hummer sanctuary here, after starting with just one pair 12 years ago.

[Magrittes Pipe]

12. They are Zenaida macroura.

If you use the proper ornithological name, you won't run into such confusions. ;)


And it's "mourning," of course.

[auburngrad82]

18. Did you know mourning doves mate for life?

If one mate is killed or dies the other one will never mate with another.

[Atlas Mugged]

19. That's true

It makes me sick when a Hawk gets a Mourning Dove since it's not just losing a bird - another bird loses it's life mate.