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Synari — Love Birds
Published: 2014-03-31 23:53:41 +0000 UTC; Views: 424; Favourites: 33; Downloads: 0
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Description
Mourning Dove Pair courtingThe Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) .The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove, and formerly was known as the Carolina Pigeon or Carolina Turtledove. [2] It is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American birds. It is also the leading game bird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport and for meat. Its ability to sustain its population under such pressure stems from its prolific breeding: in warm areas, one pair may raise up to six broods a year. Its plaintive woo-OO-oo-oo-oo call gives the bird its name. The wings can make an unusual whistling sound upon take-off and landing. The bird is a strong flier , capable of speeds up to 88 km/h (55 mph). [3]
Mourning Doves are light grey and brown and generally muted in color. Males and females are similar in appearance. The species is generally monogamous , with two squabs (young) per brood. Both parents incubate and care for the young. Mourning Doves eat almost exclusively seeds, but the young are fed crop milk by their parents.
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Comments: 16
Superb photo and capture with stunning feather detail and colors. Well composed and caught in a natural setting.
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Six broods a year???
Quite frankly, I think that if someone considers a mourning dove a pest, they should just let a hawk take care of it. Hawks need to eat too, and our bountiful supply of mourning doves kept our young sharp-shinned from starving this winter.
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This is such a super-sweet image! Beautifully timed and in a great setting.
Mourning Doves are such pretty, gentle birds, I can't imagine how people can kill them for sport.
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Thank you. Yes, they are gentle birds and very non aggressive in comparison to say, blackbirds. I have seen as many as 25 hanging around where I live. In some ways and by some folks, they are considered pests and like pigeons, often called rats with wings. I personally believe that everything on this earth has a role and place in its ecosystem. I was honored to have captured this moment of tenderness on film.
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What a fantastic capture; such perfect timing!
I would also like to thank you for the extra bit of information, there's quite a bit I didn't know before (as we sadly don't have these beautiful birds where I live). You never stop learning.
It's also good to see that, despite being hunted and shot in the tens of millions per year, their population seems relatively stable; it would be sad if this bird would end up sharing the fate of the passenger pigeon.
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Often they are lumped in the same pest category as pigeons. Thank you for the comments and you are welcome for the info....and yes, you are very right; if we're doing things right, we don't ever stop learning.
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Even pigeons, just like other animals considered "pests", are just doing whatever it takes to survive. Some are more successful at adapting to the vast changes to the ecosystem caused by us humans than others, though. Blackbirds, for example, were described as "shy and seclusive" birds as little as 150 years ago! And the way species are divided into tolerable and pests seems arbitrary at best... In the end, most of the issues we see are consequences of our own behavior.
If you have a few minutes to spare, I wrote a journal about the topic of balance a while ago, briefly analyzing the aforementioned problems at the examples of pigeon, jay and crow:
fav.me/d6akz1p
I'd love to hear your opinion on the matter.
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I added it. Thank you.
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This is such a wonderful moment you have captured.
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Thanks, I was quite pleased to witness such an intimate moment between this pair.
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