Birding/Mourning Dove Eggs

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Expert: - 6/9/2007


Question
A pair of morning doves have nested in one of my hanging baskets.  They have been faithfully sitting on the eggs for four weeks now and they still have not hatched. Will a time come that they will give up? Should I remove the eggs to encourage them to try again.  I do water the plant to keep it alive and they do not seem to mind. Could the water have adversly affected the eggs?  I feel very bad for them.

Answer
It should take about 12-14 days for Mourning Dove eggs to hatch so it sounds like the eggs are bad. They will eventually give up. Do not remove the eggs until the birds give up. If you watered the plant and the water got to the eggs, that could be a cause. Eggs, once incubation begins, are very sensitive to temperature changes. Roger Lederer at Ornithology.com  

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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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