# Mourning dove not cooing



## Nikhil (Sep 15, 2016)

I'm from India.We rescued a baby mourning dove about one and half months ago; he's about two months old now, quite active and healthy though not as healthy as the ones seen outside.
The problem is that he/she never coos. At the beginning he made noises like a normal baby birds, but now he doesn't do that anymore, only occasional muffled noise while eating from my palm.
We are thinking of rehabilitating him next week in a nearby national park with lots of mourning doves and I'm a little concerned as to his understanding of other birds.
Please help.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Sounds to me like he's still too young to coo. He will reach maturity at about 4 or 5 months, right now he's inbetween the stages and that's why he does not make the baby sounds anymore. 

If he eats from your palm and follows you around, he must be very tame and probably human imprinted (see's you as his mum). His changes of survival out there is very very slim. In nature, when they starts leaving the nest, the parents shows them where to find food, escape from predators etc. He won't have those survival skills, and being human imprinted won't really adapt to the other birds.

So I would suggest to rather keep him. Or maybe if you have the space, build a nice aviary outside where you keep him. Just make sure it will be safe from predators. Attract other doves by putting out food and check how he reacts to them. After a month or so (if you think he's not human imprinted) you can open the door and let him go out at his own time. But very important, provide food and water for he will come back to feed. In an outside aviary, he will also get used to being outside and get to know the area.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Agree with MarinaB. Sounds like he has imprinted on you and needs to be a pet.


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## Nikhil (Sep 15, 2016)

But he flies around the house frantically when other doves coo outside, also another thing is that ,for the first month we kind of co-parented him with his mother, i.e. we kept him inside at night because his mother would leave him alone at night (but visited during day for feeding) after the cat attack.
Once he flew away but got stuck in terrace railings, so we kept him again. His mother stopped visiting after that.
We feel guilty for keeping him in when he tries to fly outside hearing other doves coo.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Ok, so it sounds like he's not human imprinted. If human imprinted, he will be be wary around other birds and rather choose human company. Do you have a lot of doves around the house and do you put out food for them? Then his chances of survival will be better than just dumping him in a strange place without food.

If you have a cat, lock him up for a couple of days. Leave food outside for the doves and when you think it's time, just open up the window and let your one go out by himself. They deserve freedom. I only keep the one's that becomes human imprinted, the others I let go. 

You can mark him with a dot of white paint on the breastfeathers, at least you will recognize him then. Couple of months ago, I let go 2 red-eyed doves that I had for almost a year in my aviary. Every morning and every evening they come back to feed. It's nice to see them in their natural habitat. I know I took a big chance in letting them go, but everything worked out well.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I would listen to Marina's advice. It's good advice. You don't want to keep him if he can live freely. But you need to keep offering feed and water until he no longer needs that help.


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## Nikhil (Sep 15, 2016)

There are about three- four cats and gods knows how many street dogs around my locality. Mourning doves sometimes get killed because they are not very good at evasion. Can't leave him open around my locality.


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## Nikhil (Sep 15, 2016)

Just found out that he's a laughing dove.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Is there no way that you can find someone with an aviary, or someone that has a laughing dove in captivity? How were you thinking of rehabilitating him at the National Park?


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## Nikhil (Sep 15, 2016)

I was thinking that I I'll leave him near a flock , leave all the grass seeds and other seeds there and observe him the whole day. I know how to call him to me, so if things don't work out I'll just take him back home.
But if he flies away real far then I won't be able to see him and that would a problem.
Also I don't know anyone who has petted a laughing dove; and I know a person with a pigeon aviary but I guess that won't work.


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## Marina B (May 5, 2011)

Pigeons and doves don't do well together, so that option is out of the question. Taking him to a strange place is also a problem. He might get spooked by something and just fly away and you will never find him.

Only solution will be to set him free from your home. Why don't you build a feeding post for the doves on a pole about a meter from the ground. Flat surface on top where you leave the food. That way a cat will not get to them so easily.

Has the little one spend time outside since his mother stopped feeding him? Try to get a budgie cage or something and start putting him outside during the day for a couple of hours so that he can get used to being outside and also observe the other birds feeding. You just need to keep an eye on him when he's outside. After 2 weeks or so just open that door and let him go. And then lots of prayers for the little one. Maybe you can call him every evening and if he comes back, take him inside so that at least he have a safe place to sleep at night.


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