YONAH•Mourning Dove•CARE Intro

Mourning Dove (a.k.a. Turtle Dove)

If treated properly and compassionately, a wild mourning dove will come to trust you, see you as a caring companion. (Be exceptionally careful not to betray that trust. Once lost, it will never return.)

Before we get into the finer details of “dove-specific” particulars, there's a point that truly must be made above and beyond all else. Sad to even think that it need be mentioned, but surely, there are those who will read this who already know why the topic comes to mind. Surely there are those who have seen the incidents of “neglected pets”, even if the neglect appears to be negligible, or is a “one-off”. The point of the matter is clear, plain and simple...

BE ADVISED: A MOURNING DOVE WAS NOT, IS NOT AND NEVER WILL BE A "COMMON PET".IT IS ILLEGAL TO BUY AND/OR SELL MOURNING DOVES.
MOURNING DOVES, OR ANY OTHER DOVE, FOR THAT MATTER, ARE NOT "FONDLE, HUG, HOLD" BEINGS. Although they certainly can be resilient, defiant, stoic, defencive, they are fragile, delicate. As it stated else-where here, on the site, two of the major causes of death of doves in human company are:
• heart attack, from being approached suddenly and unexpectedly
• broken neck, from being held too tightly, for too long.
Broken wings are a common injury caused by attempts to hold or even stop a dove from flying. At ALL times, remember that YOU have taken this little Life into your home, your life and now YOU bear 100% of the responsibility for his/her well-being, and YOU have to respect his/her choices and actions. If you are, for any reason, unable or unwilling to accept and exercise this responsibility, contact any animal protection agency in your vicinity and arrange for some-one to come and take the Little One to a place where preparations are appropriate, and competent people are ready to provide a respectful environment for him/her.

Whether your companion is a bird, a cat, dog, reptile, fish, or any other little being, purchased at a retailer, a kennel, a neighbour, on-line, where-ever, first and foremost, the absolute basic fact of the matter is THIS IS A LIVING, BREATHING, THINKING... SENTIENT BEING, WHICH IS MADE MORE THAN ABUNDANTLY OBVIOUS WHEN S/HE COMES TO THE FRONT OF THE CAGE TO GREET YOU, CALLS TO YOU WHEN YOU'RE NOT AROUND, WILL COME THROUGH THE HOUSE LOOKING FOR YOU, AND MIGHT EVEN ENJOY "RIDING" ON YOUR SHOULDER AS YOU GO ABOUT THE HOUSE * AND * DOVES ARE KNOWN TO EXHIBIT SIGNS OF GENERAL JOY AS WELL AS DEPRESSION AND THE MOURNING OF A LOST MATE/COMPANION... AND YOU'VE BROUGHT HIM/HER INTO YOUR HOME, YOUR SPACE, YOUR TIME, YOUR LIFE. YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO AND FOR HIM/HER, PERHAPS EVEN MORE-SO THAN YOU WOULD A HUMAN CHILD BECAUSE THESE LITTLE ONES, UN-LIKE A HUMAN, CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH US IN WAYS WE'RE ACUSTOMED TO. IF YOU CAN NOT OR WILL NOT ACCEPT AND EXERCISE THAT RESPONSIBILITY, IT'S INHUMANLY CRUEL, IF NOT OUT-RIGHT EVIL, TO KEEP IT, ONLY TO CAUSE IT TO SUFFER. NOT TO MENTION, MOURNING DOVES HAVE MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THOSE WHO DON'T CARE IF THEY SUFFER OR ARE KILLED IN THE WILD:

https://nydovehunting.weebly.com/mourning-dove-fact-sheet.html
• The average lifespan of mourning doves is less than one year. Only 40% of the population lives longer. However, mourning doves are capable of reproducing at 85 days of age, which compensates for this short life span. In addition, nationwide surveys have shown there is no significant difference in mourning dove breeding densities in hunted and non-hunted states.
• Hunters harvest more mourning doves annually in the U.S.A. than any other game bird. More mourning doves are shot than the combined sum of wild turkey and every species of duck and goose.

Wild or domestic, temporary or permanent, to have and to hold, to administer help in time of sickness or injury, or to have in your own life “as long as ye both shall live”, the FACTS are and remain that...

When you are thirsty, you can get to the tap for a glass of water, or to the fridge for a beverage, you can get up, at whim and will, and fetch what's available to quench your thirst.

When you're hungry, you can go to the cup-board, the fridge, the cookie jar, make a sandwich, a burger, grab a pastry, a mug of soup as you wish, when you want.

When you are feeling tired or ill, you have access to the local pharmacy, druggist, a health-care provider.

Your Little One, on the other hand, DEPENDS ON YOU to supply nourishment, from food to beverage (particularly water... CLEAN water). S/he depends on YOU to provide a healthy environment, free of disease, parasites, dirt, and when s/he is not well, YOU are the "health-care" provider, from proper diet to necessary medications.

Cages are a some-what sad necessity when a dove is in your house. BUT A CAGE SHOULDN'T BE A "PRISON", A PLACE TO LEAVE THIS LITTLE ONE ALONE, IGNORED, OUT OF THE WAY AND OUT OF YOUR LIFE. A CAGE SHOULD SERVE AS A "PRIVATE ROOM" WITH-IN A ROOM, A PLACE OF SAFETY, SERENTIY, VERY MUCH AS YOU EXPECT YOUR HOUSE TO BE FOR AND TO YOU. Just as you "decorate and furnish" your home, careful consideration and respect must be given to the decorations and "furnishings" of a cage. It must offer a place to perch, especially at night because mourning doves "perch" to sleep, a place to eat, drink and calmly digest meals and snacks, a place where food and water are available and fresh, a place to bathe... in water and sun-light. It must also be large enough to provide space in which to spread wings, move about with-out danger of catching wings or beaks or heads. Light but not sweltering, airy but not drafty, clean and free of pests, parasites and infestations... and treated with respect. And yes, they can be a costly investment, but remember: you brought this little one into your house, your home. Whether temporarily whilst you administer health-care, with the eventuality of releasing him/her back into the natural environment from which s/he came or for the "long term", should injuries be such that s/she will never be able to fly distances or quickly enough to dodge predators, s/he did not come to you of his/her own decision. Although, after a while, s/he may become "Family", s/he will always be a "treasured guest" in your home and deserving of all that that enittles him/her to.

And keep in mind that there are laws that strictly forbid the "possession", keeping of mourning doves... for ANY reason. Although "licenses" and "certifications" are required by law to keep a mourning dove in your home for any reason or length of time, nothing justifies or surpasses true, honest, heart-felt love, caring and compassion.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at 16 U.S.C. §§ 703–712 (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1916 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain (acting on behalf of Canada).[1] The statute makes it unlawful without a waiver to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, posses, or sell nearly 1,100 species of birds listed therein as migratory birds. The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full protection to any bird parts including feathers, eggs, and nests. A March 2020 update of the list increased the number of species to 1,093.

So if you're not willing and/or able to provide the very basics, the essentials, those things that you need and expect for yourself, the kind, considerate and intelligent move is to find someone who IS or simply leave the little one to the "Hands of Fate and Nature"... Return him/her to the out-doors, don't imprison this little LIFE. There are no excuses to do other-wise.

There are more than even "too many" people who, either with half-hearted "best intentions" and/or those who simply derive some self-serving pleasure in "possessing" a wild LIFE, surely we all know or know of them. (Since Yonah came into my home and I've searched for help, support, information, assistance, I've met many, personally, including those who "have the necessary papers" to administer to the needs of wild birds... and THEY are the reason why I've put the effort into creating and presenting this web-site. "Apathy" and condescending attitudes, refusal to "help with-out pay". I'm not "one of them" and I don't suspect you are either (or you wouldn't have searched for and found this site).

That said, let's get on with the “adventure” that is caring for a wild dove... which, after all, this is all about. And for those of you who ARE under-taking this privilege of giving compassion and care to Earth's precious little emblems of “Peace”, let me say, from my own heart: “Thank you. Bravo! Kudos.” You're part of a most indescribably magnificent group, with hearts and souls that just can't be compared to any other. You're a blessing to these little ones... and surely, they are a blessing to you.

When I took an injured mourning dove into my house, home, heart and life, I turned to others for advice, suggestions, recommendations, help and support. Sadly, I received none of any. Neighbours, including some-one who was touted as "Bird people" gave vague, personal opinion. The advice from the "Bird people" was simply "Put some paper in a shoe-box, keep her warm and in the dark, make her comfortable for as long as...". NOT what I needed nor wanted to hear. And research on the Internet more often than not, ended with taking her to an "avian veterinarian". The closest is located 160km/100 miles away! Then too, I was advised (by the "Bird person") that the local Wildlife Preservation group AND most avian vets wouldn't even accept this little bit of *Life* because she's "common", "too small"... the implication, in another word, being that she's "insignificant". Well, NO! She's MUCH MORE than significant and she's injured, not dead! I was almost exasperated but more determined to learn ALL I possibly could about how best to help her. I had NO intention of "keeping" her any longer than it took for her to heal. She wasn't then, nor is she now, a "pet". I vowed to do my best for her until, at the very least, our North Country Winter freezes were passed. And so, my own research became a frenzied obsession (of which I am proud).

Now, as I type this, she and I are approaching "our" 7-month anniversary together. She's taught me more than I ever even imagined I could learn, including the fact that doves ARE capable of comprehending caring, DO recognise voices and faces, and appreciating Love and Compassion.

As my education continues, I'll be posting my lessons-learnt here, including how to address injuries, the importance of particular foods, exercise, "housing" (cages), *companionship* (yes, Mourning Doves are "flocking" beings and DO appreciate knowing they're not alone). Please, be sure to check back to this page often as it's now a "work in progress" as notes and thoughts are gathered. I'll up-date as quickly as possible, make adjustments and annotations as I go along. And, if you believe this information would be of help to others, please feel free to pass this site information along to them.

Meanwhile, if you happen to have any particular questions regarding the care of mourning doves (or, perhaps, other wild birds), and/or ANY information you might have that would benefit others, PLEASE know that this is your site, feel free to send an e-mail with inquiries, comments, suggestions, recommendations, personal experiences! If you'd like, they can be posted so that others who are seeking support can benefit from your knowledge. (One of the greatest sources of information and help to me has been a breeder who lives on the opposite side of the planet. The Internet can be the best resource for all of us.)

E-mail: yonah@gmx.com