# Will this attract them or what?



## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

Just a small question...

My Mom and I were thinking of getting a minature citrus fruit tree to put on our balcony. Anyway I posted a similar question to this on Yahoo.com and I had been told that mourning doves might nest in it.

Is this true?

I just wanted to know incase such a scenario occured sometime next spring.

But is it true that putting a minature tree of some sort will attract mourning doves into building a nest?

Would like to know....

Thanks for posting!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Mourning Doves might go for it, but I'd bet on House Finches first .. I've seen many a house finch nest in small trees on patios and balconies but not many Mourning Dove nests in such places. The Mourning Doves would go for a hanging planter more than the tree .. JMO and what I've seen.

Terry


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

I agree with Terry on this. And, Birddogg, if you're really lucky, a finch will choose the tree and you will love watching these sweet little birds raise their babies. They also love to make their nests in wreaths that some folks hang on their doors.


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

Thanks for telling me, My Mom told me thata pair of mourning doves used to build their nest in a hanging plant every year when my older siblings were kids(I wasn't around to see this ) after the 4th generation of doves they stopped coming. Well, I'll find out if some birds build a nest in our mini citrus tree whenever we decide to get one.

Here's a list of birds that I see on a daily basis outside our town house complex:

Pigeons

Grackles

Mouring Doves

House Sparrows

and yesterday my Dad and I did see some clay sparrows, they look like sparrows but the males have irredesent red feathers on their heads, faces and chest. The females also have brown and white stripes on their chests.

This is what they look like the male is on the left and the female is on the right.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

BirdDogg10 said:


> and yesterday my Dad and I did see some clay sparrows, they look like sparrows but the males have irredesent red feathers on their heads, faces and chest. The females also have brown and white stripes on their chests.
> 
> This is what they look like the male is on the left and the female is on the right.


I think you are seeing male and female House Finches .. your link to the picture didn't work, but the actual URL text says finch and not sparrow. Male House Finches have gorgeous reddish/orange on their heads and chests. I did find that picture on the site you posted .. definitely House Finches, but the site seems to be having some problems. Here's some other pictures: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i5190id.html

Terry


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## christina11 (Jan 20, 2006)

I have a pair of morning doves that nest in cedar type of tree in the front every year, its good to nest in because it gives lots of cover to predators.

If a tree is too skiny and does not have enough cover the doves usualy wont nest in it.


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

Interesting...hopfully when we get a mini citrus tree I 'll find out if anything buids a nest whenever we get a mini citrus tree. We do have a fake ficus tree in the living room. Would the birds be attracted to that if it was outside?


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

BirdDogg10 said:


> Interesting...hopfully when we get a mini citrus tree I 'll find out if anything buids a nest whenever we get a mini citrus tree. We do have a fake ficus tree in the living room. Would the birds be attracted to that if it was outside?



BirdDogg10, we have a huge one at work that is alive, potted, and living out doors on a porch, but no birds are attracted to the ficus to nest in. They do have a bit of a pick there as it's a lovely spot nestled into the hills and feeding places galore, but no 'squatters rights' have been claimed on that ficus.

fp


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

Odd... just out of curiosity, if my folks didn't get a mini citrus tree is there anything else that can attract a pair of birds into building a nest on a balcony?


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

Well, that's only the ficus, BirdDogg10, so I'm guessing birds might not be
impressed w/a fake if not impressed w/the 'real deal'. But again, it really could 
just be a situation there of better pickings. Seems like Maggie and Terry believe you'll get some finches for the citrus tree, and you got a thumbs up on 
a hanging plant for the mourning doves. Maybe you could talk to your folks
about putting up a hanging plant along w/the citrus tree.  

fp


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## BirdDogg10 (Aug 23, 2005)

Thanks for the idea but I think I'll try the citrus tree first to see if it'll actually attact finches or sparrows. The birds that live near our complex ocassionally come in, we do have some pigeons who have popped up at the construction site once or twice.


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