Mourning Dove Populations Research Articles

Toxicology of ingested lead shot in ringed turtle doves.

Ringed turtle doves ingested 0, 2, or 4 lead pellets and their blood was assayed for activity of the enzyme delta-aminolevulenic acid dehydratase (ALAD) at 24 hr and at sacrifice (14 days). At both blood sampling times, ALAD activity was reduced in the lead-treated birds concommitant with elevated blood lead concentrations. Hemoglobin concentration was not affected when assayed at sacrifice of the birds. Brain, liver, and kidney lead concentrations were significantly higher in doves that ingested lead shot. Approximately 70% of 110 mg lead pellets was eroded in the doves' gizzards in 14 days provided they were retained during that interval. Measurement of ALAD activity and blood lead offers potential for monitoring lead concentrations in wild mourning dove populations.

Eggshell Thickness in Mourning Dove Populations

Eggshell Thickness in Mourning Dove Populations

A Note on Juvenile Mourning Dove Populations at West Palm Beach, Florida

During the period March 1950 through February 1958, C. C. Anderson banded and aged 14,406 mourning doves (Zenaidura macroura) at West Palm Beach, Florida. An interesting characteristic of these data is the high monthly percentages of juveniles in the unbanded adult-juvenile samples during the major portion of each year. This paper is concerned with the trend in the percent of newly banded birds that were juveniles during the period March through February, as well as a comparison of individual period trends through the 8 years of banding. The primary purpose of this paper is to determine whether or not the eight yearly trends of percent juveniles in the unbanded adult-juvenile sample (March through February) can adequately be described by one curvilinear regression line, rather than to speculate on the population characteristics which are reflected in these data.

The Effect of Tree Removal on a Mourning Dove Population

The Effect of Tree Removal on a Mourning Dove Population