The mournful cooing of the mourning dove is a familiar sound, especially in spring and early summer. But do these birds continue their cooing after dark? If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Yes, mourning doves do coo at night, but their nighttime vocalizations are less frequent and softer compared to daytime.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into the fascinating behavior of nighttime cooing in mourning doves. We’ll explore why they coo at night, what their night vocalizations sound like, how mating and territory play a role, and how artificial lighting impacts their behavior.
Whether you’re a bird enthusiast, enjoy listening to nature’s evening chorus, or are simply curious, read on to uncover the mysteries of the mourning dove’s mesmerizing nocturnal sounds.
When and Why Mourning Doves Coo at Night
Nighttime Cooing is Less Frequent But Still Occurs
Although mourning doves are diurnal and most active during the day, they do still vocalize and coo at night occasionally. According to All About Birds, mourning doves may coo at night to reaffirm pair bonds or signal distress.
While nighttime vocalizations are less common, if you listen closely after dark, you may hear the soft, plaintive coos of a mourning dove. The cool, quiet hours of darkness make these gentle calls easier to hear compared to the daytime when they have to compete with other bird songs and noises.
Defending Territory and Communicating With Mates
Cooing serves several important functions for mourning doves. Male mourning doves are known to emit their rhythmic, mournful cooing to defend and mark their territory. By vocalizing at night, they remind other doves whose turf it is and discourage intruders.
In addition, mated pairs may exchange contact coos after dark to communicate their locations or confirm their bond. Soft nighttime coos allow mates to check on each other and coordinate activities for the following day.
Role of Artificial Lighting in Disrupting Natural Rhythms
While naturally most active in daylight hours, increasing artificial lighting at night due to urbanization has altered the behavior of many bird species. Studies show mourning doves and other birds are starting to vocalize and hunt earlier in the morning and later into the evening in areas with significant light pollution.
This suggests that artificial lighting is disrupting circadian rhythms tied to daylight patterns. As cities continue to grow brighter, the divide between daytime and nighttime activities may continue to blur for urban wildlife like mourning doves that are highly adaptable to human environments.
What Do Mourning Dove Night Coos Sound Like?
Lower Volume and Slower Cadence
The cooing of mourning doves at night tends to be softer and slower compared to their daytime vocalizations. Their mellow, drawn-out coos have a more soothing quality after dark when most other birds have settled down.
The lower volume and unhurried rhythm of the night coos creates a peaceful ambiance. It’s almost as if the doves are whispering sweet nothings to each other under the stars.
There are a few reasons why mourning doves coo more quietly at night:
- They don’t need to call as loudly to reach other doves who are roosting nearby.
- Lower volumes prevent them from attracting predators.
- Their coos are modulated to not disturb other animals and people sleeping.
In terms of cadence, their nighttime cooing follows a relaxed, unrushed pattern. Rather than the hurried daytime cooing used for claiming territory and finding mates, the slower night coos seem to be more of a comforting connection between paired doves.
Regional Differences in Pitch and Tones
While mourning doves across North America share the same distinctive cooing, there are some subtle regional differences in the pitch and tones of their vocalizations. Here are a few examples:
- Northeastern doves tend to have a slightly higher-pitched and plaintive tone.
- Southeastern doves have a slower, more drawn-out cooing.
- Midwestern doves have a lower-pitched, full-bodied coo.
- Western doves have a more varied, warbling coo.
The regional variations in pitch and phrasing are likely shaped by habitat, climate, and isolation between populations. Just as regional human accents developed, mourning doves separated by distance and landscape features may have evolved their own distinctive dialects.
While the night coos still follow the unique regional characteristics, the lower volume and slower cadence tends to minimize the differences. Under moonlight, the soothing coos of mourning doves blend into a universal lullaby.
Whether high-pitched twilight melodies in New England or drawn-out desert dusk murmurs, their voices sing in unison when day gives way to night.
Peak Breeding Season Connects to Nocturnal Vocalizations
Spring and Early Summer See More Nighttime Cooing
The peak breeding season for mourning doves spans spring and early summer (generally from March to June). During this period, male doves are especially vocally active in their courtship displays, cooing frequently to attract potential mates.
Research by ornithologists has shown that the highest frequency of mourning dove vocalizations occurs around dawn and dusk. The males perch on wires, trees, rooftops, or other elevated surfaces and begin emitting their plaintive, melancholy coos as the first signs of light start to peek over the horizon.
The soft, harmonious ooh-ah-coo sounds can continue intermittently for up to an hour or more at these transitional times.
Why do mourning doves preferentially coo during crepuscular hours? Experts theorize the low light conditions allow the birds’ calls to transmit farther through the atmosphere, reaching distant receptive females.
The relative quiet just before sunrise or just after sunset also ensures less ambient interference from other species’ noises.
Males Coo to Attract Females at Dawn and Dusk
In addition to geographical reasons, the dawn and dusk timeframes likely appeal to male mourning doves from a reproductive standpoint. Since they are polygamous, individual males try to mate with multiple females in a season.
Broadcasting their signature coos in early morning and evening thus allows them to maximize their exposure to females seeking partners.
Each sustained round of oscillating coos may last over 20 repetitions. The purpose is to signal males’ presence and fitness to nearby single females. In response, female doves are often drawn to approach the calling roosts, where courtship displays and mating then ensue if mutual attraction exists.
Throughout the prolonged breeding timeframe, the energetic males continue rising early and resting late in order to greet the females at first and last light. Even into the warmer midsummer months, when many bird species have finished nesting activities, mourning doves can still be heard cooing anthems of new beginnings and bright hopes as the sun marks its endless passage over the horizon.
How to Support Healthy Mourning Dove Populations
Provide Food, Water and Nesting Sites
Mourning doves need access to food, water, and shelter in order to thrive. You can support local populations by setting up bird feeders with a mix of seeds, grains, and nuts. Platform feeders work well for these ground-feeding birds.
Also provide a ground-level water source like a birdbath or fountain. Mourning doves build flimsy nests of twigs so leaving brush piles for nesting materials is helpful.
Planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers that produce seeds and fruit doves eat will also draw and sustain these birds. Some excellent native plants are blackberries, rice cutgrass, ragweed, pokeweed, and wild grasses.
Having dense shrubs and evergreen trees gives shelter from predators and harsh weather. Ideal nesting spots are 6 to 15 feet above ground in the dense cover.
Limit Light and Noise Pollution
Excess outdoor lighting at night and loud noises discourage mourning doves from settling in a habitat. These birds avoid areas with too much disturbance. Eliminate any unnecessary outdoor lights near dove shelters and nests.
Also minimize loud sounds which stress birds and impact their ability to hear predators approaching.
When landscaping, look for opportunities to create peaceful hiding and nesting spots tucked away from human activity and noise. For instance, build lush native shrubs and small trees around secluded areas of the yard.
Keep excessively noisy items like generators, leaf blowers, and radios away from these sheltered sites.
Participate in Citizen Science Monitoring Programs
Volunteer to collect data for mourning dove research and conservation through networks like eBird and the USGS Bird Banding Lab. When the public contributes observations, scientists can better track populations over decades and see the impacts of changes to climate, habitat loss, and more.
For example, according to the 2021 North American Breeding Bird Survey, mourning dove populations have declined by over 30% in the last 50 years in the eastern U.S. However, citizen scientist observations show the populations are still thriving in urban areas and the west.
Understanding these geographical and habitat trends helps target conservation efforts.
Simple actions like reporting dove sightings help researchers track health and change over time. Consistent monitoring provides an early warning for concerning population declines that require swift habitat management and policy changes to correct.
Conclusion
The mournful coo of the mourning dove is an evocative sound that connects us to the natural rhythms of dusk and dawn. As we’ve explored, nighttime cooing is part of the dove’s complex language of territorial signaling and mating communication.
By understanding their behavior and supporting their needs, we can help maintain healthy populations of these graceful birds. The next time you hear a nighttime dove coo, take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this gentle sound amid the hush of darkness.
