Since moving to this part of Texas, I have been so amazed at how many doves are EVERYWHERE! As I was walking down the stairs today, I saw this Mama Dove with her two babies sitting on the ledge of the window.
Just out of curiosity, do any of you know the difference between a pigeon and a dove? They look very similar to me. Doves are just smaller and maybe a little cuter.
6 comments:
I absolutely adore doves! We have a few pairs that live on our farm. I know that in the past the mourning dove was refered to as a Carolina Pigeon & that they're closely related to the almost or maybe even now extinct Passenger Pigeon. (I can thank my three zoology classes for contributing to my vast bank of random knowledge. lol) However I don't know if they're truly consider a pigeon.
I think they're so sweet because the mates both tend the nest & care for the young. Very touching!
I always thought that doves were a species of pigeon, but I went on Wiki, and it seems like they are just two terms for the same type of bird, and there are many different breeds within that genre. If that makes sense. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove
Thanks for the info, ladies!
When I lived in Spain, I noticed that they use the same word "Paloma" to describe pigeons and doves, and then I began to realize that they looked quite a bit alike, too!
Dana Cheryl, do pigeons always live in pairs or are they always born in pairs? So interesting because the two babies are always together, and I've never seen more than the two babies.
J, thanks for doing Wiki research for me!
Doves are almost always monogamous. They mate & then stay together for life. Both parents are required to raise the babies. Again it's almost always two eggs very rarely there will be more. The families stay together until migration. Although I'm quite sure that all of our doves have been raised here. They all return each spring. I'm an avid bird watcher & I know them all. lol! They know me too. I'm the one that brings food & they'll get very close.
Doves are the most hunted birds in North America. While we don't mind hunting in general on our farm we do prohibit the hunting of Doves. We couldn't stand to break up a family. :)
p.s. The above comment was mine. I didn't realize that my cat had walked across the keyboard. Until the comment posted. It was a mess. lol. Just thought I'd delete, remove the cats thoughts, & repost. :)
Awwww! Great photos! How beautiful they are!
I love the sound of mourning doves. I don't like how they hog our bird feeders, though.
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