Ashley and Crippen Photographers, Toronto|Corporate Headshots/Executive Headshots 

Birds

Mourning Dove

Very common across much of America, the Mourning Dove also spreads north into Canada in the summer. It likes a variety of habitats, except for deep woods, and is seen both alone and in flocks, either perched prominently on poles or wires or walking on the ground. At the start of it long breeding season, it builds a rather loose nest of twigs and sticks in a bush or a tree, in which it lays two white eggs. These are incubated for around two weeks by both birds alternately, and the chicks stay in the nest for around 16 more days; there may be 2 to 4 broods in one season. The adult is a rather slender dove, with narrow pointed wings and a long, pointed, tapering tail with the side feathers edged with black and tipped with white. It has a light blue ring round the eye, and a large dark spot at the base of the ear. Its plumage is pale gray-brown above, with large black spots on the wings, and buff blue-gray on the crown, but the female is plainer and also has a shorter tail. The juvenile is similar to the adult, but is more scaled. The Mourning Dove makes a whistling noise with its wings as it takes flight, but the bird’s name comes from the male’s mournful cry, which sounds a little like an owl. It mainly eats seeds and grain.