Perch Supply
Pigeons and doves (Columbidae)

Baby mourning doves: from egg to fledgling

A Mourning Dove lays 2 eggs. They hatch after 14 days, and the young leave the nest 12–15 days later — about 26–29 days from egg to fledgling.

Mourning Dove, verified photograph
Adult Mourning Dove — photo: Wikimedia Commons
Eggs per clutch
2 eggs
Incubation
14 days
Time in the nest
12–15 days
Egg to fledgling
About 26–29 days
Broods per year
Up to 5–6 per season in the south
Nest
Flimsy twig platform in trees, shrubs, gutters or ledges
Uses nest boxes
No

Stage by stage

  • Eggs (14 days): 2 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
  • Nestlings (12–15 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season mourning doves mainly eat seeds of grasses, ragweed and crops.
  • Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young mourning doves are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
  • More broods: Up to 5–6 per season in the south. Pairs often start a new nest soon after the first young become independent.

When mourning doves nest, state by state

Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Feb) and latest in Alberta (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.

State / provinceNesting season
AlabamaFeb–Sep
AlbertaApr–Sep
ArizonaFeb–Sep
ArkansasMar–Sep
British ColumbiaApr–Sep
CaliforniaFeb–Sep
ColoradoMar–Sep
ConnecticutMar–Sep
DelawareMar–Sep
FloridaFeb–Sep
GeorgiaFeb–Sep
IdahoMar–Sep
IllinoisMar–Sep
IndianaMar–Sep
IowaMar–Sep
KansasMar–Sep
KentuckyMar–Sep
LouisianaFeb–Sep
MaineApr–Sep
ManitobaApr–Sep
MarylandMar–Sep
MassachusettsMar–Sep
MichiganMar–Sep
MinnesotaApr–Sep
MississippiFeb–Sep
MissouriMar–Sep
MontanaApr–Sep
NebraskaMar–Sep
NevadaMar–Sep
New BrunswickApr–Sep
New HampshireApr–Sep
New JerseyMar–Sep
New MexicoMar–Sep
New YorkMar–Sep
North CarolinaMar–Sep
North DakotaApr–Sep
Nova ScotiaApr–Sep
OhioMar–Sep
OklahomaMar–Sep
OntarioApr–Sep
OregonMar–Sep
PennsylvaniaMar–Sep
QuebecApr–Sep
Rhode IslandMar–Sep
SaskatchewanApr–Sep
South CarolinaFeb–Sep
South DakotaMar–Sep
TennesseeMar–Sep
TexasFeb–Sep
UtahMar–Sep
VermontApr–Sep
VirginiaMar–Sep
WashingtonMar–Sep
West VirginiaMar–Sep
WisconsinApr–Sep
WyomingApr–Sep

Found a baby Mourning Dove?

  • Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
  • Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
  • Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
  • Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.

More about mourning doves

Frequently asked

How long do baby mourning doves stay in the nest?

About 12–15 days after hatching. Eggs take 14 days to hatch, so it is roughly 26–29 days from the last egg to the young leaving.

How many eggs does a Mourning Dove lay?

2 eggs per clutch, with Up to 5–6 per season in the south.

Where do mourning doves nest?

Flimsy twig platform in trees, shrubs, gutters or ledges.

What should I do if I find a baby Mourning Dove on the ground?

If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.