Mourning doves are a common and widespread bird species found throughout most of North America. However, some people have noticed hearing fewer mourning dove calls in recent years. There are several potential reasons why the mourning dove population may be declining in some areas:
Habitat Loss
One of the major threats facing mourning doves is habitat loss. Mourning doves nest on the ground or in low bushes, so they require thick underbrush for nesting sites. However, development, agriculture, and forestry practices have reduced shrubby field edges and fragmented forests. This habitat loss reduces available nesting spots for mourning doves.
Increased Predation
Fragmentation of mourning dove habitat can also lead to increased nest predation. With less dense vegetation to conceal nests, mourning dove eggs and hatchlings are more vulnerable to predators like raccoons, skunks, snakes, crows, and domestic cats. Higher predation rates on eggs and young mourning doves could reduce overall populations in some areas over time.
Disease
Mourning doves are susceptible to several infectious diseases that can cause mortality events in concentrated populations. Diseases like salmonellosis, West Nile virus, and trichomoniasis have been known to affect mourning doves. Outbreaks among crowded populations such as at bird feeders or migratory stopover sites can quickly kill off groups of doves.
Climate Change
Some research indicates that climate change may be gradually shifting mourning dove habitat and migratory patterns. Mourning doves are a migratory species that breed in northern areas of North America and winter in the southern U.S. and Mexico. However, warming temperatures may be altering their breeding grounds, migration timing, and wintering habitat. This could change where mourning doves congregate and make their cooing calls in spring and summer.
Hunting
Mourning doves are a popular game bird for hunting, which adds additional mortality pressures to populations in many regions. The annual harvest of mourning doves is estimated at 20 million birds in the U.S. While carefully regulated hunting is not considered a long-term threat, increased hunting activity can reduce local populations and breeding numbers in the short term.
Shift in Backyard Habitats
Backyard habitats have changed over the decades as gardens have transitioned from native plants to exotic ornamental species. Lawn pesticides, loss of brush piles, and removal of snags have reduced the food sources and nesting spots that attracted mourning doves to rural backyards. Since mourning doves readily visited feeders and made their presence known with their calls, homeowners may notice their absence more sharply.
Urbanization
Human development has reduced mourning dove populations in some areas, especially suburban locations that were likely strongholds in the past. Urbanization removes crucial nesting and feeding grounds. Busy roads pose hazards to doves. Urban stressors like light and noise pollution likely also discourage mourning doves from establishing territories.
Farming Changes
Modern farming practices have changed the agricultural landscape in ways that may disadvantage mourning doves. Larger field sizes, loss of fence rows and treelines, earlier mowing of hay and grain fields, and heavier use of pesticides have degraded dove habitat on many farms. With less food and cover, farmlands may support fewer mourning doves now.
Declining Songbird Populations
Interestingly, research shows that declining songbird populations in some regions may be tied to fewer mourning dove detections. Small songbirds face habitat pressures and threats of their own. And since mourning doves often nest in the same habitat as many songbirds, declines may be interconnected. Fewer songbirds around may mean fewer mourning doves calling as well.
Conclusion
In summary, mourning dove populations face ongoing threats from development, climate change, hunting, disease, and habitat alteration. While they remain common overall, local declines appear to be occurring in many portions of their range. This may explain why some people are noticing fewer mourning doves calling in backyards, farms, and natural areas compared to past decades. Targeted conservation measures to protect nesting habitat and migratory corridors may help stabilize mourning dove populations into the future.
Mourning Dove Population Data
Here is some data on mourning dove population trends and declines from the North American Breeding Bird Survey:
Region | Population Trend | Significance |
---|---|---|
British Columbia | -1.5% per year | Significant decline |
California | -1.9% per year | Significant decline |
Illinois | -3.7% per year | Significant decline |
Massachusetts | -2.8% per year | Significant decline |
New York | -2.2% per year | Significant decline |
Ontario | -3.8% per year | Significant decline |
Texas | -0.7% per year | Marginally significant decline |
National | -1.2% per year | Significant decline |
The data shows mourning dove numbers dropping in many parts of their range, with an overall decline nationally of 1.2% per year between 1966-2015 according to the Breeding Bird Survey.
Reasons for Mourning Dove Population Declines
Based on research, here are some of the top reasons contributing to mourning dove declines in recent decades:
Habitat Loss
Widespread habitat loss and degradation across North America has been detrimental to mourning doves. They have lost nesting and feeding habitat in many areas due to:
- Development expanding into rural areas
- Forest fragmentation from logging and land clearing
- Overgrazing and degradation of shrublands
- Drainage of wetlands
- Clean farming practices removing fence rows and treelines
- Nesting habitat loss in urban and suburban areas
Hunting
With annual harvests estimated at 20 million birds, hunting adds significant mortality pressure to mourning dove populations. Some specific concerns include:
- Harvest may remove over 10% of the fall population annually
- Disturbance from hunting may reduce nesting success
- Localized hunting pressure can reduce regional populations
However, mourning dove hunting is considered well-managed overall under existing regulations.
Agricultural Intensification
Modern farming techniques have reduced mourning dove habitat, including:
- Earlier and more frequent mowing of hay and wheat fields
- Wider use of pesticides reducing food supplies
- Shorter crop rotations that support weeds/insects
- Loss of marginal farmland left idle for doves
Climate Change
Research shows shifting ranges and migration patterns due to climate change may impact mourning doves:
- Temperature changes shift breeding habitat suitability
- Mismatch between migration timing and food availability
- Increased drought frequency in some regions like the Southwest
- Heavier rainfall impacting chick survival in eastern regions
Conservation Actions to Help Mourning Doves
While habitat loss and degradation remain the largest threats, focused conservation programs can benefit mourning dove populations through actions such as:
- Protecting and restoring shrubland and early successional habitat
- Promoting hedgerows, field buffers, and cover strips on agricultural lands
- Managing public lands to encourage dense understory vegetation
- Avoiding mowing during peak nesting periods
- Monitoring and sustainably managing hunting take
- Banding studies to track migration timing shifts
The Future Outlook
Mourning doves remain a common species, but their cumulative declines across much of North America highlight the need for continued habitat conservation and management. With proactive stewardship practices, populations can be stabilized and potentially restored over time. But mourning doves face high threats if current trends in habitat loss and degradation continue unchecked.
At the local level, actions to provide nesting cover, reduce pesticide use, and create backyard habitat can benefit mourning doves and other declining species. With coordinated efforts, the melodic cooing of the mourning dove can continue gracing backyards for decades to come.