Mourning Doves...

Gardening Tips & Tricks · April 12 at 1:00 PM · Mourning doves are the most equal co-parents in your yard. And they do something almost no other bird can do. THE PARENTING SCHEDULE: → Dad sits on eggs: morning to late afternoon → Mom sits on eggs: late afternoon to morning → They swap at nearly the SAME time every day → Both lose weight during incubation (neither eats while sitting) THE MIRACLE: Crop milk → Both male AND female mourning doves produce "crop milk" → It's a protein-rich, fatty substance made in the lining of the crop (throat pouch) → It's NOT actually milk — it's more like cottage cheese → Only 3 bird families in the world can do this: pigeons/doves, flamingos, and emperor penguins → The crop milk is the ONLY food baby doves eat for the first 3-5 days → It's so nutritious that squabs (baby doves) double in size within 48 hours Mourning dove love: → They're monogamous (at least for the season) → They do a gentle preening ritual before mating → Male calls = the soft "coo-OOO-oo-oo" you hear every morning → It sounds sad. It's actually a love song. → The name "mourning" comes from humans mishearing love as grief 300+ million mourning doves in North America. The most common native bird in many neighborhoods. And nobody watches them. They're right there. On your porch light. Doing everything right. Together. 🕊️ #MourningDove #CropMilk #EqualParenting #BackyardBirds #DidYouKnow #DoveLove