The Baby Inca Doves
by Robert Bales
Title
The Baby Inca Doves
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Found the nest in my neighbor's yard and this was the last day that they were in the nest.
These are very common in our backyard and very helpful since they clean up the seeds from the bird feeder. Sometimes they are called Love Birds!
Inca doves are tiny gray pigeon-like birds with long tails. Their outer tail feathers are white. They have rusty wing patches easily seen when they fly. Inca's have a distinctive fish scale pattern on their breast, head and back feathers.
This common Southwest species is one of the most desert-adapted of the family. Its plump body can survive both extreme heat and cold. They can go four or five days without drinking, and fly 10 or more miles to reach a water hole.
Their melodious "hoo hoo" repeated up to 30 times a minute fills the air during early summer. These doves are almost always seen in pairs. Their scaly appearance sets them apart from other small doves. In the winter, Inca doves gather in flocks of up to 50. On cold winter days they have been known to form pyramids 2 or 3 tiers high in order to stay warm.
During courtship, the male inca dove bows, coos and struts in front of the female, fanning his tail feathers. Males battle furiously for females. Dove nests are a flimsy basket of sticks barely woven together. Dove and pigeon nestlings are fed "pigeon milk" a high protein milky substance produced and regurgitated by their parents.
Inca doves seem to be increasing in areas of hman disturbance. These seed-eating doves are common visitors to bird feeders. With their soft cooing calls, males strutting for females and their regular use of bird feeders, inca doves have quickly become back yard favorites.
A small tropical dove of arid areas, the Inca Dove has become a common resident of urban areas of the Southwest. It has expanded its breeding range northward and southward, but has remained attracted to towns and cities.
The Inca Dove (Columbina inca) is a small New World dove; it might belong to the genus. It ranges from the southwestern United States and Mexico through Central America to Costa Rica; the Inca Dove only lives on the Pacific side of Central America. Despite being named after the Inca Empire, this species does not occur in any of the lands that constituted that region. Inca Doves are common to abundant within their range and they are expanding their range north and south.
Inca Doves reach a length of 16.5�23 cm and weigh 30�58 g. They are slender, with a gray-brown body covered in feathers that resemble a scaled pattern. The tail is long and square, edged with white feathers that may flare out in flight. In flight, the underwing is reddish, like other ground doves, and on takeoff, the wings produce a distinctive, quiet rattling noise.
This is a terrestrial species which occurs in flocks in open areas including scrub and cultivation. It will feed in urban areas, eating grass seeds and taking advantage of the ready availability of water from agricultural and suburban irrigation. The song, a forceful cooing rendered variously as "cowl-coo" or "POO-pup", may be given from a tree, wire, or other open, high perch such as a television aerial.
A pair of Inca Doves nesting
During winter, they roost in communal huddles in a pyramid formation that helps them conserve heat. These pyramids can contain up to 12 birds.[3]
Inca Doves live near areas of human habitation and feed in opens areas such as lawns and barnyards. They build their nests primarily in trees and shrubs. The male gathers the nesting material and presents it to the female, who also gathers some nesting material. The nest is composed of twigs, grass, and leaves and becomes reinforced with the brood's excrement.
Uploaded
March 4th, 2014
Embed
Share
Comments (55)
Dale Kincaid
Congratulations! Your fantastic art has been chosen as an ANIMAL MANIA Group feature! You are invited to archive your work in the feature archive discussion.
Luther Fine Art
Congratulations! Your terrific art has been featured on the ABC Group home page from the G is for GREY themed week, APRIL 24, 2023 - MAY 1, 2023. You are invited to add your wonderful art in the Features Archive Discussion in the ABC GROUP as a way to preserve your feature.
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks, Luther for the nice feature, congrats, invite, comment, and promotion!
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups Special Features Nominations For Promotion #22 . Please help your fellow artists by visiting and passing on the love to another artist in the the 1000 Views Group....L/F/Tw
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks, Christopher for the wonderful information and the great discussion along with the LFTw!!
Christopher James
Congratulation.....your wonderful work has been featured in the 1000 Views on 1 Image Group ..... Feel free to place your featured image in the Features Archive and any Genre specific Archive l/f/p
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks, Christopher for the nice feature, congrats, invite, comments and the promotion!!
Anita Faye
Robert, happy to feature your beautiful work on Poetic Poultry! https://fineartamerica.com/groups/poetic-poultry-.html
Don Columbus
Congratulations Robert, your work is Featured in "Birds In Focus" I invite you to place it in the group's "2018 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!! L/Tweet
William Tasker
Fabulous! I really enjoyed seeing your named bird and this image is now featured by Wild Birds Of The World - A Nature Photography Group. L/F
Don Columbus
Congratulations Robert, your work is Featured in "Coastal Water Birds-Shore Birds" I invite you to place it in the group's "2018 Featured Image Archive" Discussion!!
Linda Phelps
F/L What a nice find! I like the depth of field which makes these babies pop out from the background. They are darling birds. I like how the contrast in color works to separate them from the background. Nice composition to include the mother's tail.
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Linda for the nice review and yes they were daring to watch. I took this out of a window of a friend's motorhome.