“A pair of Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) is perching on a Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) plant in our garden. They are the only birds living in or visiting our garden that stay perched at a single spot several minutes at a time. They are very peaceful to be around, often looking into the distance meditatively.
“Sparrows and tailor birds in contrast, hop around all the time. I shot this from inside a room so you don’t hear bird sounds. Instead, you hear the movement of the clock hand! I read on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that ‘Males have favorite “cooing perches” they defend from other males. Members of a pair preen each other with gentle nibbles around the neck as a pair-bonding ritual. Eventually, the pair will progress to grasping beaks and bobbing their heads up and down in unison.'”
Anjana Mehta
Rajasthan, India
30th December 2018
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