OKLAHOMA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 59 



NOTES OF MOURNING DOVES 



Craig (1911) describes five different notes that these birds 

 utter : the begging note, which is "a musical sibilant, sliding up the 

 scale, and easily imitated by whistling sssst" the alarm cry — " a 

 single, short, emphtic ejaculation;" the copulation-note, the song 

 or coo ; and the nest-ca!l. Of the song he says : "For romantic 

 sweetness there is no pigeon song I have ever heard which can ap- 

 proach that of our mourning dove. The female also utters the 

 perch-coo, though less often than the male, and in a thin, weak 

 voice and staccato tones." The nest call "is much shorter than the 

 song and much fainter, so that the field observer may fail ever 

 to hear it. Its typical form is of three notes, a low, a high, and a 

 low." It is given "usually in the nest, or in some post which is 

 lil<:ely to be chosen as a nesting site." 



With our birds we heard the begging note ,the alarm cry, the 

 coo and a conversational "putt" which was entirely juvenile. The 

 begging note was used by D. until 4 v/eeks old. We found the 

 alarm note uttered much more frequently by the doves when young 

 than when adult. The conversational "putt" we noticed from the 

 time D. was 7 weeks old till he was 4 months ; but it was seldom 

 used during the latter part of the period. 



On November 5, I. watched the birds for 50 minutes; D. was 

 7 weeks old and F. about 3 months. 



2 :20 F. and D. sunning th.emselves on the window sill. F, 

 apparently sees something to scare him and gives alarm note loudly 

 67 times in succession. His bill is closed and his tail is jerked 

 slightly at each note, his neck feathers being ruffled. D. does 

 not seem dis'-urbed ; he says "putt" softly once. 



2 :24 F. gives soft "putts" with bill closed ; then a dozen 

 or m.bre alarm grunts, sounding something like a toy when it is 

 squeaked. D. says "putt, putt". 



2 '.27 F. gives 3 alarm grunts ; then 5 soft "putts". 



2:28 Another grunt; then more "putts", his tail is jerked slight- 

 ly with each "putt". 



2 :30 They lie contentedly in the sun. F. utters 4 "putts" in 

 20 seconds. 



2 :35 Both say "putt" a number of times. F. preens himself. 



2 :45 F. much frightened at pigeons flying by ; he says "oo-oo- 

 oo-oo" at least 200 times. D. pays little attention to F's excite- 

 ment but is standing still all this time. 



2:55 F. still at it: "oo-oo-oo-oo". D. says "putt, putt, putt". 



3 :00 F. still giving alarm note ; while D. utters "putts". 



