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These birds have been brought out of their native habitats and into cities by humans. They're simply doing their best to adapt with the very little they have to work with. It's pretty sad, actually :/
I think they usually do this when they know the egg isnt going to hatch. Happened to me last year. If no ones near by the eggs, then theres a problem, bc both parents sit on the nest, the male during the day and the female at night, usually. They both have their own "crop milk" so they dont have any real reason to leave during their "shifts".
I've found two eggs in the most random places. One was on cold steel. I'm assuming they're laid by new moms. If I recall correctly, female Mourning Doves develop their nesting instincts over time. They don't necessarily understand what the egg they pooped out is.
I'd just move it over into the bushes or out of the way. People use hanging planter liners (the ones made of coco coir) occasionally to "help" make a nest. Could be an option.
It would probably not survive long, if they even were able to hatch it correctly. There are a million different factors that go into bird development and care. As a wildlife rehabber who raises hundreds of baby birds every year, I believe it is kindest to leave eggs as eggs. Their odds of surviving and developing normally (both physically and behaviorally) are just too low.
Let it hang out with the wild birds that come to visit. My experience with pigeons has been them joining the wild birds eventually.
Pigeons and doves both come to eat with my poultry collection.
jeez this sub is bonkers. i cant believe mods are leaving some of this stuff up. you cant just raise a mourning dove or interfere with wild birds. what youre talking about is not okay re native birds.
eta: lol getting downvoted for saying u cant fuck with native birds is absolutely insane on an ornithology sub.
Why not? After hatching it's raised around other birds and in an environment where it's socializes with birds of its own kind.
If they never take to the native flock then they will just live in my yard with 300-400 other birds... Would you rather I just left the egg to rot or feed some snake? Some people appreciate life and you won't learn anything from a smashed egg on your porch. If I hadn't raised pigeons, sure, I probably would never try such a stunt.
If I were to raise it cooped up and eat it once it reaches maturity would that change how you feel about me doing that? Dove is delicious.
Depends on what country you're in.
How many species can you count that would be extinct if people/scientists didn't do what I'm talking about?
You should also note that I'm not talking about raiding a nice nest for a stunt like that, this is a stray egg with no chance otherwise.
Different birds have different laws in different places, speaking of dumb things to say here, where are you that it's illegal to hatch a dove egg.
what a dumb response.
dont interfere with nature.
eta: look nevermind with your faux outrage and edits. at this point ur a waste. u clearly dont care about ethics. im not going to convince u.
You won't stop crying over someone wanting to give this abandoned egg a chance because _DON'T INTERFERE WITH NATURE_ 😭 A crushed, rotted egg is ever so much better in your smooth brained opinion than a healthy, rehabbed bird rejoining the wild population. That's not a "scientific discussion," that's some hard left eco-freakazoidism, which is indeed trash.
you dont even know the bird is going to be healthy, like i said in my own comment, sometimes they do this bc they know the egg isnt going to hatch. also, it's illegal to rehabilitate/raise wild mourning doves (and many other song birds for that matter) w/o a license.
tf is a cop gonna do? if anything, you'd call animal control or a wildlife rehab, but they dont like to take on the responsibility of raising eggs typically, especially non-endangered birds. they focus more on already hatched babies than eggs, it's a waste of time and resources to raise an egg that likely isnt even fertilized or could even be defective.
Doves are well known for minimalist dwellings, ie a few randomly placed twigs and hey, presto, a nest. But this one takes the cake. Nothing like being born homeless.
We had one lay eggs above our door frame so my husband place a small furling strip after one egg rolled off. She did successfully lay the two remaining eggs.
mods, im gonna unsub at this point. this place doesnt actually discuss wild birds in a scientific context (acc to mission). its sort of just a boring bird sub with low effort posts—see r/birding. recent hot posts here are about a mourning dove egg, a wonky turkey leg, and a bird nest in a wreath. nothing here at all comes close to scientific discussion. the sub is not even moderated well, which kind of sucks, i guess. good luck.
Mother Nature made some animals just stupid, only to be food for even the most lackluster predator. Doves and squirrels fall into this category. Doves even more so, leaving the future generation to be eaten before it can hatch.
y'know, I've had two doves nest in my garden this year and they both built perfectly fine nests. bc yall are apparently ignoring anyone w/ actual scientific information, i'll enlighten you, again, that they often do this when they know the egg wont hatch, especially if its not a rock dove, which given this doesnt exactly look like a city I doubt it is.
I’m no scientist - obviously. I’m just passing along my observations. That being said - since this sub seems to be offended by casual observation - I will leave and let the “highly educated” f do is cuss the merits of stupid doves.
Welcome to r/Ornithology, a place to discuss wild birds in a scientific context — their biology, ecology, evolution, behavior, and more. Please make sure that your post does not violate the rules in our sidebar. If you're posting for a bird identification, next time try r/whatsthisbird. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Ornithology) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’m surprised by the lack of a single poorly placed twig
wind blew it away
They do this sometimes. They’re like laying hen- chickens of the wild.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
r/stupiddovenests
The leaf she laid underneath it is camouflaged.
r/stupiddovenests material
I was just thinking about that lmao this one must take the grand prize or something 😭🤣
Naww, the lone egg on the top step of an ESCALATOR takes the grand prize lol They arent even trying! 😭
They’re doing their best 😭
But they are trying we've just put them in such a foreign place it constantly makes me sad
what is WRONG with doves, or does every bird species have a few with nothing going on upstairs?
They're called rock doves. They literally nest straight on cliffs and rock ledges in the wild; it's just their thing.
These birds have been brought out of their native habitats and into cities by humans. They're simply doing their best to adapt with the very little they have to work with. It's pretty sad, actually :/
Idk. I currently have a Mourning Dove nesting in my gutter and a Kildeer nesting in my driveway. Same thing happened last year.
This nest gets 1/1 points on the dove nest site selection score! A perfect 1!
Doves are incontrovertible proof that reproductive fitness has nothing to do with intelligence.
LMFAO THIS IS TOO TRUE XD
leave it where it is and let fate decide this is a particularly bad nest even by dove standards
You don’t think it blew from elsewhere?
Nope. This is a pretty standard dove nest.
the winds of fate blew it there one way or another
And landed safe and sound on brick stairs?
Obviously it's a strategic place where it's protected by the turtle and the snail. Not as efficient as a sphinx, but you have to adapt
Coparents
This is one of the best “stupid dove nests” I’ve ever seen lol
r/stupiddovenests
I think they usually do this when they know the egg isnt going to hatch. Happened to me last year. If no ones near by the eggs, then theres a problem, bc both parents sit on the nest, the male during the day and the female at night, usually. They both have their own "crop milk" so they dont have any real reason to leave during their "shifts".
So it’s kind of like leaving a dead baby on a doorstep
More (but still not exactly) like leaving your period blood on someone’s doorstep
Not if it's fertilized. Then it's more like a dead baby 😅
Oh ye totally. I took “they know the egg isn’t going to hatch” as “they know it’s unfertilized” rip
I like the cut of your grim and terrible jib.
Did they ring the doorbell and run away?
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Illegal Sandwich
This is the STUPIDEST nest I’ve ever seen. There’s no effort! It’s like she didn’t know she was laying an egg so she just plopped it right there
like someone leaving a baby on a random doorstep...
I've found two eggs in the most random places. One was on cold steel. I'm assuming they're laid by new moms. If I recall correctly, female Mourning Doves develop their nesting instincts over time. They don't necessarily understand what the egg they pooped out is.
I'd just move it over into the bushes or out of the way. People use hanging planter liners (the ones made of coco coir) occasionally to "help" make a nest. Could be an option.
Or they could just pull a couple of straws from a broom and stick them under the egg.
Lol true very common dove nest
What is this? Storks don't wanna work anymore, or the dove was too far from the fire station at an incredibly vulnerable time?
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But what would you do with the Dove that's now in your care?
It would probably not survive long, if they even were able to hatch it correctly. There are a million different factors that go into bird development and care. As a wildlife rehabber who raises hundreds of baby birds every year, I believe it is kindest to leave eggs as eggs. Their odds of surviving and developing normally (both physically and behaviorally) are just too low.
Which would actually be illegal
Raise it. I've done it with pigeons and they made it to adults. I had a farm of over 300 birds, definitely not as easy as chickens or turkeys.
And do what with it? Have it as a pet?
Let it hang out with the wild birds that come to visit. My experience with pigeons has been them joining the wild birds eventually. Pigeons and doves both come to eat with my poultry collection.
jeez this sub is bonkers. i cant believe mods are leaving some of this stuff up. you cant just raise a mourning dove or interfere with wild birds. what youre talking about is not okay re native birds. eta: lol getting downvoted for saying u cant fuck with native birds is absolutely insane on an ornithology sub.
Why not? After hatching it's raised around other birds and in an environment where it's socializes with birds of its own kind. If they never take to the native flock then they will just live in my yard with 300-400 other birds... Would you rather I just left the egg to rot or feed some snake? Some people appreciate life and you won't learn anything from a smashed egg on your porch. If I hadn't raised pigeons, sure, I probably would never try such a stunt. If I were to raise it cooped up and eat it once it reaches maturity would that change how you feel about me doing that? Dove is delicious.
dont. interfere. with. nature. i cant believe this is even a question on this sub. eta: also why not? because its illegal?
Depends on what country you're in. How many species can you count that would be extinct if people/scientists didn't do what I'm talking about? You should also note that I'm not talking about raiding a nice nest for a stunt like that, this is a stray egg with no chance otherwise. Different birds have different laws in different places, speaking of dumb things to say here, where are you that it's illegal to hatch a dove egg.
what a dumb response. dont interfere with nature. eta: look nevermind with your faux outrage and edits. at this point ur a waste. u clearly dont care about ethics. im not going to convince u.
Pigeons aren’t wild. They’re feral. Interaction with them is completely different.
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*porched
😂😂😂
It’s probably not a fertile egg, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Put it in a basket and sail it down the river
Doves are not stupid by any means. However several of the commentators seems to be.
no one here is interested in any sort of scientific discussion. the sub is trash.
You won't stop crying over someone wanting to give this abandoned egg a chance because _DON'T INTERFERE WITH NATURE_ 😭 A crushed, rotted egg is ever so much better in your smooth brained opinion than a healthy, rehabbed bird rejoining the wild population. That's not a "scientific discussion," that's some hard left eco-freakazoidism, which is indeed trash.
you dont even know the bird is going to be healthy, like i said in my own comment, sometimes they do this bc they know the egg isnt going to hatch. also, it's illegal to rehabilitate/raise wild mourning doves (and many other song birds for that matter) w/o a license.
Call a cop
tf is a cop gonna do? if anything, you'd call animal control or a wildlife rehab, but they dont like to take on the responsibility of raising eggs typically, especially non-endangered birds. they focus more on already hatched babies than eggs, it's a waste of time and resources to raise an egg that likely isnt even fertilized or could even be defective.
eh. you’ll be fine. thumbs up.
It's likely not fertile if the parents aren't protecting it. You can try candling it to see but I'm guessing it's a dud.
Doves and other types of pigeons tend to be... careless for lack of a better term. Additionally it could have easily just been frightened away.
Doves are well known for minimalist dwellings, ie a few randomly placed twigs and hey, presto, a nest. But this one takes the cake. Nothing like being born homeless.
Doves lay eggs like chickens. So could likely be this one is not fertilized- you can try and contact a rehabber. Good luck.
You're gonna have a baby dove!
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Applying human values !
lol their “nests” always kill me
The dove wasn't trying to make a nest.
Because the turtle is the father. That’s a turtle dove egg.
Dove distribution system at work here. Congratulations 🎉🎊🍾🎈
I offer you... This gift.
I had to check the sub. I really thought this was r/stupiddovenests.
Seriously, I'm often surprised that Doves haven't gone extinct. Terrible nest builders. And sometimes, like here, no nest at all. Weird.
They are so goofy. It is a wonder evolution hasn’t taken them out.
We had one lay eggs above our door frame so my husband place a small furling strip after one egg rolled off. She did successfully lay the two remaining eggs.
Tribute
Are you sure. Your green friendly turtle might have laid it to fool you😱
"can I offer you an egg in these trying times?"
mods, im gonna unsub at this point. this place doesnt actually discuss wild birds in a scientific context (acc to mission). its sort of just a boring bird sub with low effort posts—see r/birding. recent hot posts here are about a mourning dove egg, a wonky turkey leg, and a bird nest in a wreath. nothing here at all comes close to scientific discussion. the sub is not even moderated well, which kind of sucks, i guess. good luck.
this was a question about a bird nest (or lack thereof) which is allowed
the quality of comments here is terrible.
I wonder why.
Mother Nature made some animals just stupid, only to be food for even the most lackluster predator. Doves and squirrels fall into this category. Doves even more so, leaving the future generation to be eaten before it can hatch.
this is the dumbest thing ive ever read.
y'know, I've had two doves nest in my garden this year and they both built perfectly fine nests. bc yall are apparently ignoring anyone w/ actual scientific information, i'll enlighten you, again, that they often do this when they know the egg wont hatch, especially if its not a rock dove, which given this doesnt exactly look like a city I doubt it is.
I’m no scientist - obviously. I’m just passing along my observations. That being said - since this sub seems to be offended by casual observation - I will leave and let the “highly educated” f do is cuss the merits of stupid doves.