Birding/Baby Dove

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Expert: - 8/2/2007


Question
A dove has been nesting on my porch over a light.  She had two chicks and one fell out of the nest.  The mother doesn't seem to spend too much time in the nest with the other chick and wasn't in the nest late last night.  Would  the parent have abandoned this chick?  What are the behavioral
habits of parent doves?

Answer
Normally both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. When the young are about 2 weeks old, before they can fly, they jump out of the nest. They rarely fall. Jumping out before flying is perfectly normal. Then the parents feed them until they can fly. Parents spend less and less time with the chicks, especially in the nest, as the chicks get older. Sounds like everything is normal so far.

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Roger Lederer

Expertise

Any and all about WILD birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.

Experience

Have a PhD and over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.

Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico

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