First year females show no homing instinct. Doves build flimsy nests of twigs and grass usually placed in trees or shrubs 10-30 feet above the ground. In wooded areas elms and maples are preferred, but in more open agricultural areas coniferous shelterbelts and windbreaks are preferred nesting sites. Normally 2 white oval eggs are laid on alternate days. Both parents take part in incubation and brood-rearing activities.
Males usually incubate during the day, females at night.
Young are initially fed crop milk, a fatty substance produced in the crop of adults, rich in protein and fats, which is gradually replaced with seeds as the young grow. The entire nesting cycle requires 30-32 days. Adults begin a new nest 2-5 days after fledging. On average half to two-thirds of the nests initiated are successful. Research in southern Iowa has shown doves can increase their population 3-fold in a single breeding season.