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Edward Campbell
Westlake, OH, USA
This Mourning Dove was moving, flying and feeding normally. The feathers on top of its head also appeared abnormal (not laying flat), but I could not tell whether it had a second growth there.
Growths
Mourning Dove side view of growth on face
I have a mourning dove baby that has this growth on the right side of face. Please advice what can happen to it. It looks like it getting bigger every day. The bird is about 3-4 weeks old. The other baby bird will not leave, the stay very close to each other.
Hi Warren, It sounds like your Mourning Dove might have Avian Pox. Visit our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases page to learn more about this disease. When you see a sick bird, the best thing to do is take down your feeders and clean them and then soak in a bleach solution. Full instructions are on the page linked above. If you believe the bird needs intervention to survive, you can contact a wildlife rehabilitator for advice. If you cannot catch the bird, then keep your feeders down for at least a week to encourage it to disperse. Regularly clean your feeders to help prevent the spread of disease.
I call wild life hospital They said if I can catch it to bring it in. Well I can not catch it. Very concern for it safety.
I have a Mourning Dove feeding outside of my window on a ledge rock I feed birds on. It has larger growths on both sides of its face as well as protruding over the top of its beak. Doves feed there in groups of 6 to 10 birds. What do I do?
Hi Ramona, If you see signs of a sick bird, we recommend cleaning your feeders. We have guidelines on how to do so on our Sick Birds and Bird Diseases and Safe Feeding Environment web pages. If you start to see more sick birds, it’s a good idea to remove your feeders for at least a week to help the sick birds disperse. Regardless, regularly cleaning your feeders is the best way to help prevent the disease from spreading, and should be done weekly to bi-weekly.
What about Disinfecting the bird baths as well as the feeders
HI Norma, one of the best ways to keep a bird bath clean is by changing the water every day. Cleaning instructions depend on what kind of bird bath you have – if it’s made of an absorbent or porous material, such as concrete, we advise against using harsh chemicals and making sure you rinse very thoroughly after cleaning so that no soaps or bleach soak into the bath to a point where they could leach back out into the water.
I have a Mourning Dove that comes to our window ledge and he has a very large growth on his neck. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him but do you know what could be wrong with him?
There are about 12 mourning doves who live in the Norway spruce trees across from my house and I feed them safflower which I scatter on the ground so there are no feeders to be disinfected. Today I noticed one with about 6 pencil eraser head sized growths on its face and it’s distressing to look at. The bird appears to be behaving normally and eating. Not sure what do do for him.
Hi Michelle, There is not much that can be done for sick birds if you do not have feeders to clean. I would recommend making sure that you rake the area where you spread the seeds at regular intervals, so that old or moldy seeds are cleaned up, but otherwise it’s best to let the birds be, especially if they are eating and behaving normally.
I have a dove chik with abnarmal beak how can I manage him to feed
Hello, only veterinarians or federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators can legally treat wild birds. If you see a bird that appears to be compromised in some way, perhaps due to sickness or injury, do not try to care for the bird yourself.
Have newborn mourning dove with white pods attached to face. Looks like they came from nest. Any ideas what they could be?
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