The Not So Lonesome Dove in the Rio Grande Valley
Wed, 07/08/2020 - 12:00am
The mornings in the Thornforest now belong to the White-winged Doves cooing “Who cooks for YOU…Who cooks for YOU”. Breeding season has begun for this dove and will continue through summer. The male and female construct their platform nest of loose twigs. In the Rio Grande Valley they prefer ebony, mesquite and prickly pear habitat. The female usually lays 2 smooth off-white, one inch oval eggs, and both parents incubate the eggs. Both parents also care for and feed the young, which are called “squabs’. Unlike most other birds, doves of both sexes produce a “crop milk” as a food source for their squabs. White-winged Doves are nearly 100% vegetarian.