Nesting Doves

I've been reluctant to sneak a photo of the doves that nest every year in one of the hanging baskets on our front porch in Arlington, but this year I did.

An adult doves nesting with two squabs on our front porch in the city.

As abundant as our pigeons (Columba livia) and Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) are, we rarely get to see them nesting.  It's too bad , because members of the Family Columbidae have some of the most altricial young (needy or dependent, opposite of precocial).  For the first few days of life, the young squabs eat only a special milk produced from the crop of both the male and female dove.


Here's a photo I found at A birding blog by Gunnar Engblom.of a pigeon (Rock Dove) feeding youg squabs.

Photo: Susannah A. Lower Fraser of Wanderin' Weeta