Flightless mourning dove found

[MissChick@dee]

Looks like you have a new pet

 

[backyard pigeons]

I wonder if dark eyes means young in doves just like pigeons?

I don't know much about mourning doves. Do you think it's very young?

@SniperGoose does it make any sounds? Sqeaking like a young birds? Cooing like an adult bird?

 

[SniperGoose]

Just be prepared to have people on here give you a hard time with keeping her and not taking her to a rehabilitation center. It’s illegal to keep wild native animals. With that being said, if I were in your shoes, I’d keep her too. Do lots of research on their diets as she will wanna eat what she has in the wild. That’s what she is use too. Her eyes look bright and she doesn’t look dumpy so maybe she’s just getting old and tired, lol.

Well, the way I see it, she's apparently not severely injured and this is her home here on this farm. I'm hoping she'll be able to fly again. If so, I'll release her back into the wild here. I've taken more severely injured wild animals to a rehab center before, but I didn't really feel the need to do that to this little girl. I'm definitely not sure how old she is, but she is very perky looking! I'm hoping she'll be alright though, and will be able to fly once more.

 

[SniperGoose]

Yes telophone wires are awful for birds. I know a guy who races and he had a couple get broken legs/wings on the telophone wires. About the dove, hmm im not sure. Maybe its very badly out of place? Can it hover?

Could be, but I'm not really sure. She can't hover. Earlier when I was trying to catch her, she would jump and flap her wings like she was trying to fly, but she couldn't go too high - a few inches at most from jumping.

 

[SniperGoose]

I think there could be a few reasons it cant fly/ One its not a matter of cant as much as wont. Maybe its a tame bird ? Got loose and now looking for its human home. Or could it be blind ? Maybe stretching it but its possible. Looks healthy to me but could be weak . Check for mites ? What ever happens I wish you luck with her.

I don't think it's a tame bird. She certainly didn't seem very tame at all. She doesn't like human contact that involves her being touched at all. I believe it's a wild dove for sure. As for blindness, I don't think that's the case either. When I was putting food in the cage for her earlier, she was watching what I was doing. Tilting and turning her head to see what I was doing in the cage, etc. I checked her for mites as well a little earlier and she doesn't have any. So I'm still unsure of what happened to her. Thank you very much!

 

[SniperGoose]

I don't know much about mourning doves. Do you think it's very young?

I'm more familiar with poultry than with doves, but she's definitely old enough to where she should be able to fly. I've seen smaller, younger doves fly with no problem. So I don't think that's the problem here.

 

[SniperGoose]

Here is a thought. Mourning Doves mate for life. Maybe she lost her mate. I don’t know what they do when they lose a mate but she could just be grieving or “lost”.

Awww that's a sad thought. That could be a possibility too.

 

[SniperGoose]

@SniperGoose does it make any sounds? Sqeaking like a young birds? Cooing like an adult bird?

I haven't heard a sound out of her at all. From what I've heard, male mourning doves are the more vocal ones. I believe this one to be a female, but I know females aren't silent either. I think she's still a little shy and getting used to her new surroundings so that might be why I haven't heard anything out of her. But I don't think she's a super young bird, given how fully feathered she is, and her size.

 

[007Sean]

Appears to be healthy, from the pics, the way it's holding it's wings tells me their not broken.
Have you looked to see if it has been shot? Sometimes if the pellets from a shotgun don't hit anything vital, they will recover...could be nerve damage! Idk?
It's too late in the season for them to be nesting, so I don't think it was trying to lure you away from the nest....basically you wouldn't have been able to catch it if that was the situation.
I'm just as puzzled as everybody else!
Hope it recovers from whatever the problem is, keep us updated, please.
ETA scratch grains are fine to feed it. That's their primary diet in the wild. Wheat, milo, corn, soy beans, be sure to have grit, it's very important in their ability to digest the grains.
Also, another after thought. It may have flown into a structure and really dazed it...may take a few days to recover from the collision.

 

[backyard pigeons]

That is true, mourning doves mate for life. But when a mate dies i beleive its false that they will mourn and suffer and eventually die. They do mate for life but if a mate dies they will remate to another dove.

Here is a thought. Mourning Doves mate for life. Maybe she lost her mate. I don’t know what they do when they lose a mate but she could just be grieving or “lost”.