Mourning Dove Mini Original

This gentle bird’s song is a familiar melancholy sound, especially in the summer. I grew up greeting her nesting in our giant cottonwood, and in recent years they’ve nested in little nooks around our house. Something about this bird has always felt familial.

Across various cultures, Mourning Doves symbolize selfless love, hope, divine messages, and connection to the spirit realm. They are found all across North America, even into Canada and Mexico certain times of the year. Diet consists mostly of seeds, with some grasses, herbs, and berries—up to 20% of their body weight per day!

Males and females look alike, and mate for life. A mated pair may even preen each other, a sort of bonding ritual. Nests are fairly flimsy, created in trees, on the ground, in gutters, or they even reuse their own or others’ abandoned nests. Both males and females raise their young together.

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.