Pigeons & Doves
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Doves need dense cover near open areas. They are ground feeders, but will use any feeder they can land on. They build their nests on flat surfaces, including the ground, but don't use nest boxes. They are notoriously poor nest builders. White-crowned Pigeons, a threatened species, are found in the Keys and extreme south Florida. They nest on mangrove islands free of raccoons but may fly long distances to feed. A few Eurasian Collared-Doves were introduced into the Bahamas from Eurasia in 1974. The doves appeared in south Florida in the 1980's. By 1991, it was estimated that over 100,000 of these doves were in Dade and Monroe Counties. By 1996, the doves were found in 43 counties. They are expected to continue expanding their range and numbers. The Ringed Turtle-Dove, the domesticated white dove used by magicians and released at weddings, has been established in St. Petersburg since the early 1950's. The Rock Dove, the common pigeon, was introduced to the United States in the 1600's. 'Nuff said? |
| name | area | season | diet/native food plants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground Dove | NCS | SpSuFW-B | seeds*, grains* grasses, pine, sunflower |
| Mourning Dove | NCS | SpSuFW-B | seeds*, grains*, fruit grasses, huckleberry, pine, sunflower |
| Rock Dove | NCS | SpSuFW-B | seeds*, grains* grasses |
| White-crowned Pigeon | S | SpSuFW-B | fruits*, seeds* blolly, fig, gumbo limbo, mastic, palm, pigeon plum, poisonwood, sea grape, snowberry |
Sp=spring Su=summer F=fall W=winter B=breeds in Florida during season(s) underlined M=Migrant | |||