Birding/Mourning Doves

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Expert: - 4/18/2004


Question
Mourning doves use our market umbrellas to nest in every year.  This year a pair of them were having a terrible time building a nest. After watching this go on for a week I waited until they were gone, picked up the stray twigs and debris they had scattered and built a nest myself.  I placed it up in the umbrella and the next day mama dove was nestled in and hasn't moved for three days.  My husband says it's unusual for the dove not to reject the nest because I handled it .......is he right ? What is the life span of a dove ?

Answer
Doves, or any other bird, will not reject a nest or eggs or nestlings because you handled it. I have handled thousands of eggs and young and nests with little problem. Its more unusual that she accepted the nest you built! Roger Lederer. For more on wild birds, go to www.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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