Doves are gentle, peaceful birds that can make lovely additions to any backyard. With their soft coos and graceful flight, they bring a sense of calm and tranquility. By providing the right habitat, food sources, and nesting spots, you can invite these docile birds to take up residence in your yard. Here are the top tips for attracting doves to your property.

Choose the Right Location

When trying to attract doves, location is key. Doves prefer areas that replicate their natural habitat:

Open spaces – Doves avoid dense woods and thickets. They like areas with shorter grasses and vegetation where they can move freely. Yards, meadows, and fields are ideal.
Near trees – While not nesting in deep forests, doves do like having trees around for perching, roosting, and nesting spots. Avoid totally bare locations.
Water access – A fountain, birdbath, or other water source will make your yard more appealing. Doves need to drink regularly.
Rural or suburban areas – Doves tend to avoid urban city centers. Areas on the outskirts of towns or that border woodlands are best.

Position any feeders, birdbaths, or nesting spots in open sites with easy access to trees and water. Doves favor security and open visibility.

Offer the Right Foods

To attract doves, providing enticing foods they naturally seek out is key. Some nutritious foods doves love include:

Seeds – Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer thistle, safflower seeds, cracked corn, millet, and dove mix. Offer a mix to attract a diversity.
Fruit – Dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, apples, and currants. Also serve up fresh berries and fruits in season.
Grains – Whole grains like wheat, barley, rice, oats, and bird-specific blends. Sprinkle on ground or platform feeders.
Greens – Leafy greens, mixed salad greens, kale, spinach, and broccoli florets. Chop finely.
Mealworms – High in protein, a dove favorite. Offer live or dried mealworms.
Nut butter – All-natural, no-salt nut butters like peanut or almond. Smear on pine cones or bark.

Focus on nutritional whole grains, greens, fruits, and seeds. Avoid cheap “filler” seeds like milo. Keep feeders clean and full. Provide grit like oyster shell to aid digestion. Change water daily.

Give Them Open Nesting Spots

Doves are adaptable when it comes to nesting. They will use natural nooks or crannies on buildings, in trees or shrubs, or happily use manmade options:

Nesting shelves – Install a wood shelf around your home, garage, or shed 6-20 feet up. Add a layer of twigs or straw.
Nesting baskets – Hang wicker baskets with a drainage hole from eaves or tree branches in open sites.
Dove houses – Place a commercially made dove nesting box 8-20 feet up on a tree, post, or side of a building.
Natural materials – Bundle sticks and twigs in a crotch of a tree. Or fill a large plant pot with straw and hang it.

Aim for sites 6-30 feet up with an open, clear flight path. Avoid competing with nesting songbirds by keeping nests high. Pair with houses for nesting pairs.

Give Them Room to Roam

Doves favor wide open spaces where they can stroll and peck at food unencumbered:

Short grass – Mow and trim yard grass short, 1-3 inches high. Long grass impedes their movement.
Open ground – Keep areas of bare soil exposed for dust bathing and sunning. Create openings in dense flower beds.
Clear paths – Rake and tidy debris so doves can walk easily along the ground. Eliminate thick brush.
Ground feed – Sprinkle seed directly on the ground in open dirt spots. Let the doves forage naturally.
Platform feeders – Use low platform feeders they can hop up on easily. Avoid crowded tube feeders.
Wide water – Choose wide, shallow birdbaths and ground-level water sources. Add gravel if needed for grip.

Give Them Peace and Quiet

Doves are easily frightened by loud noises, fast movements, and perceived threats. Making your yard a peaceful sanctuary will provide needed security:

Seclusion – Site feeders and nests away from high traffic areas. Position near trees or structures that provide screening.
Predator protection – Keep pets indoors or supervised when doves are active. Deter stalking cats with scat mats or avoid nesting in cat travel paths.
Limit noise – Run lawn equipment when doves are less active, like midday. Turn off loud music and limit other disruptions.
Avoid overcrowding – Only use one or two feeders and set out small amounts of food to discourage squirrels and bully birds from taking over.
Provide cover – Add in shrubs, trellises, and other covered spots so doves have places to retreat and feel sheltered.
Move slowly – Walk calmly and avoid rushed movements that can frighten shy doves. Let them slowly acclimate to your presence.

Offer Dust Baths

Doves love dust baths where they can fluff, roll, and coat their feathers in dust and dirt. This helps remove excess oils and pests:

Dry dirt – Maintain an area of dry, bare soil, free of grass and mulch. Sandy spots are ideal.
Dust – Sprinkle bird bath dust, fine sand, or wood ash over the bare dirt. Stir and replenish often.
Platform perch – Place a log, board, or flat rock at one end of the dusting area. Doves use this to survey first.
Sunny spot – Place the dust bath area in direct sun so doves can sun bathe after. Near a tree for quick escape.
Large space – Minimum area should be 3′ x 3′ but a larger 5′ x 5′ space allows multiple birds.
Privacy – Tuck the dusting spot away from high traffic areas for uninterrupted rolling and fluffing.

Use Dove-Friendly Landscaping

Choosing the right plants and features can make your yard extra attractive to doves:

Native plants – Opt for native flowers, shrubs, and trees that offer seeds and fruits doves consume. Talk to a local nursery.
Cover plants – Add in tall plants like sunflowers, elderberry, and currant for hiding spots intermixed with shorter plants.
Ornamental grasses – Plant clumping grasses and avoid sod lawns. Grasses provide seed heads and nesting material.
Ground cover – Use clover or creeping thyme instead of grass for short, thick ground cover doves can forage through.
Fruit trees – Add small trees like cherry, crabapple, mulberry, grape, or fruiting shrubs. Prune lower branches for easy access.
Water features – A small pond, fountain, or mister offers drinking water and a refreshing escape from summer heat.

Be Patient

It may take time and persistence for doves to discover and feel secure in your yard. Follow these tips:

Start slowly – Add one element at a time like a feeder or birdbath. Allow doves to find it before adding more.
Be consistent – Follow the same daily routines for filling feeders, watering, and maintaining the yard.
Avoid over-approach – Move slowly and observe doves at a distance. Let them grow comfortable before getting closer.
Limit disturbances – Have pets and children play away from dove spots at first. Minimize disruptions until they settle in.
Use decoys – Place fake doves or owl decoys to create the illusion of a safe flock already established.
Stay the course – It may take days or weeks for the first doves to accept the space. Persistence will pay off!

With a welcoming habitat and food in their preferred peaceful locations, doves can become loyal backyard visitors. Observe their behaviors and tweak the space to make them feel secure. Soon, their coos and flight will add a special tranquility to your landscape. Be patient, move slowly, and let these gentle birds come to you.

FAQs About Attracting Doves

What time of day are doves most active?

Doves are most active in the early mornings and evenings as they forage for food. Expect peaks of activity in the hour after dawn and before dusk. They will rest in shady spots during the heat of midday.

What predators threaten doves?

Common dove predators include hawks, falcons, owls, crows, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, rats, cats, and opossums. Avoid attracting these by keeping cats indoors and deterring other pests.

How long does it take for baby doves to fly?

Doves fledge and leave the nest at 15-19 days old. But it takes an additional 2-3 weeks beyond fledging before they can fly competently. Nest spots should remain undisturbed for a full month after eggs hatch.

Do doves mate for life?

Mourning doves and other common backyard doves do form pair bonds and may reuse the same nest repeatedly. But they do not technically “mate for life” and will form new bonds if a mate is lost.

How often do doves lay eggs?

Doves are prolific nesters. In ideal conditions with abundant food, a pair can produce 4-6 broods in a single year. Nests with 2 eggs are typical and will be reused for multiple broods in a season.

What’s a good dove call to use?

The typical “cooing” of doves can be mimicked by blowing gently across the rim of an empty soda bottle. Calling early morning and dusk when doves are most vocal may attract them.

How much space do doves need?

A single pair of doves defends a small territory of no more than a few acres. But if ample food and nest sites are available, even a small backyard can support several mating pairs without conflict.

Conclusion

Inviting doves into your yard requires following a few simple principles. By mimicking their natural habitat with open spaces, ample food sources, access to water, and secure nesting spots, you can create an attractive refuge. Doves will flock to yards where they feel safe and have all their needs met. With a little strategic landscaping and planning, you can experience the joy of these gentle birds cooing as they gracefully flutter through your garden. Observing them raise young and thrive will be ample reward for your dove-friendly efforts.

How to Attract Doves