Hearing the mournful cooing of a mourning dove is a common experience for many people living in suburban, rural, and even urban areas. But what does it actually mean when you hear the call of this beloved yet mysterious bird?
What is a mourning dove?
The mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) is a medium-sized dove with a long, tapered tail. It is light grayish-brown in color with black spots on the wings. The mourning dove has a distinctive mournful cooing sound, which is where it gets its name.
Mourning doves are native to North and South America. They can be found in a variety of open and semi-open habitats from deserts to grasslands to suburban yards. Mourning doves are common sightings for many people across the United States.
These birds are ground feeders and eat primarily seeds and grains. They will also forage for snails and insects when their preferred foods are scarce.
When are mourning doves active?
Mourning doves are active during the day and are most vocal right before sunrise and after sunset. Their cooing is loudest in the early morning and evening as the birds call out to define their territories and attract mates.
You are most likely to hear mourning doves making their distinct cooing sounds during the spring and summer breeding season. However, they can be heard calling year-round.
What do the calls mean?
The cooing vocalizations of mourning doves carry multiple meanings:
- Advertising territory – The coos mark the boundaries of a dove’s territory and warn other birds to stay away.
- Attracting a mate – Unmated males will repeatedly coo to attract the attention of unpaired females.
- Maintaining pair bonds – Mated pairs will call back and forth to each other to strengthen their bond.
- Signaling location – Parents and their offspring will coo to help locate each other.
- Predator warnings – Doves will make alarm calls to signify nearby predators like hawks or cats.
So the next time you hear a mourning dove’s call, the bird is likely staking out its home range, looking for a mate, connecting with its partner or offspring, or warning others of danger.
Significance in culture
In many cultures, the mourning dove’s sorrowful call is evocative of grief, solitude, and loss. Literary references to mourning doves frequently portray them as symbols of sadness or tragic love:
- In Greek mythology, the mourning dove was said to be a companion of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
- The Bible references the mournful sound of doves on several occasions, including after the great flood in Genesis.
- Mourning doves appear as sad omens of war and death in poetry from Homer to Whitman.
- The birds serve as symbols of unrequited love in Shakespeare’s plays like Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night.
Because of their vocalizations, mourning doves are often associated with tragic romance and messages from loved ones who have passed on. Their cooing is thought to signal longing across the veil between the living and the dead.
Hunting and conservation
Mourning doves are a popular game bird for hunting in many parts of the United States. Their relatively small size and lack of wariness make them an accessible target for beginning hunters. An estimated 20 million mourning doves are harvested by hunters each year.
Dove hunting season takes place in the fall, usually starting around September 1st. Limits are set on the number of doves a hunter may take per day. Shooting hours are often restricted to early morning and late afternoon, when the birds are most active.
Despite heavy annual harvests, mourning dove numbers have remained strong thanks to successful management by wildlife agencies. Loss of habitat is a greater long-term concern. Conservation efforts focus on protecting nesting areas and food supplies to sustain healthy dove populations.
Hearing mourning doves in your yard
If you regularly hear mourning doves cooing in your backyard or neighborhood, it likely means:
- There is good habitat nearby – Mourning doves need open areas with small trees and dense ground cover to provide food and nesting sites.
- A pair may be nesting there – The birds often mate for life and return to the same nesting site each year.
- You live in a prime dove range – Mourning doves occur in high densities across the southern and western United States.
You can encourage mourning doves in your yard by providing habitat features they prefer:
- Seeds – Scatter millet, safflower, sunflower seeds, and other grains on the ground.
- Fruit – Doves will eat berries and fruits from shrubs and trees.
- Water – Provide a birdbath, fountain, or other shallow water source.
- Nest sites – Allow dense shrubs and brushy areas for nesting and cover.
- Perches – Retain some taller trees for perching and roosting spots.
The presence of mourning doves indicates that your yard has a healthy ecosystem. Their cooing is a peaceful sound of nature and reminds us to appreciate the birds around us.
Conclusion
In summary, hearing a mourning dove’s call can have many meanings:
- The dove is defining its territory.
- It is looking for or communicating with a mate.
- It is signaling alarm at a predator.
- It is connecting with its family.
The cooing of mourning doves often evokes an aura of loss and solitude. But it also signifies the continuation of the natural cycle through pairing and rearing young. Attracting mourning doves to your yard means providing good habitat and helping sustain the populations of these familiar birds.