Doves are a member of the Columbidae family of birds, and are closely related to pigeons. These birds can be found worldwide, but are highest in density in Australasia and South East Asia.
Fast Facts about Doves
1. Did you know that dove has a superb nature in terms of getting adjusted in almost every kind of environment? Yes, they are therefore found everywhere except the truly harsh areas, like desert and Antarctica.
2. Like all birds, Mourning Doves are unable to sweat, so to stay cool during hot weather … they pant just like a dog. Panting requires the doves to drink a great deal of water due the excessive loss of moisture to evaporation.
3. Doves are generally slightly smaller than Pigeons but have longer tails. Pigeons are the only birds in the world that do not need to lift their head to swallow water.
4. Mourning Doves produce a mournful cooing sound which is probably responsible for its memorable common name.
5. The names Pigeon and Dove are often used interchangeably. In fact, in many languages, these terms are translated exactly the same. Pigeons and Doves belong to the same family, Columbidae, and have many similar features.
6. Doves are of great cultural importance countries and religions. For instance, in Christianity, the dove is a common Christian symbol to embody the Holy Spirit. The Christian symbol of a dove with an olive branch in its beak represents peace.
7. As with most birds, doves will primarily feed on seeds, nuts and fruits. Interesting, the species can actually be divided in terms of doves that primarily feast on seeds (granivorous) and the other family of dove, the frugivorous species, where fruit is the primary source of nutrition.
8. Doves and Pigeons have no gall bladder. Although the reason behind this anomaly in unknown, interestingly, these birds still produce bile (it’s simply secreted directly into the gut).
9. Both the male and the female produce milk for their young. Their milk is called crop milk. It contains a higher level of protein and fat than the milk produced by mammals.
10. Life span in the wild is 1.5 years for adults. This is pretty sad since doves lifespan in captivity can exceed 20 years
