Five or six nesting attempts may produce three or four broods. Annually, and under good conditions, an average of 5 or 6 young may be raised per pair of doves. The nest is a shallow platform of twigs and straw and is usually on a horizontal limb. Cedars and pines provide good nest trees in Mississippi.
Doves often choose a tree that is adjacent to an opening and has an open understory.
On rare occasions, nests can be found on the ground, a stump, or other flat surface. Dove eggs are white in color. Two eggs are the average clutch size, but occasionally three, and rarely four eggs will be laid. Both sexes share the duties required by the 14-day incubation period. Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution.