Doves typically nest in trees along the edges of fields, pastures, or clearings and are seldom found in densely wooded areas. Nests are usually 10 to 30 feet above the ground and often found in red cedar and shortleaf and loblolly pines. Watering sources are used more frequently if bare ground is found adjacent to a portion of the water's edge. Spring migration begins about February, depending on cold weather and snow. Not all doves are migratory, and birds resident to a local area are the first to breed in the spring.
Doves reproduce at high rates, but are short-lived and generally survive less than one year.
Those surviving fall migration tend to over-winter in the same area each year and remain longest in the best habitat. Wintering doves prefer river and creek bottoms near agricultural fields that produced corn or grains the previous summer. Instructions for building a mourning dove nest. Many species with open field habitat requirements benefit from dove management. Species that benefit from mourning dove management.