What Do Doves Eat?

If you’ve been wondering about the eating habits of doves, then you don’t need to look any further. Doves are omnivores; this means that they will eat insects, vegetables, plants, fruits, seeds, meat, and more. This article will provide you with more details on what doves like to eat.

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Insects

Doves eat cicadas, bees, ants, bugs, mosquitoes, caterpillars, ladybugs, lizards, moths, wasps, ticks spiders. Doves eat numerous insects on a daily basis. Furthermore, doves can eat cockroaches, mice, monarch caterpillars, snakes, worms, dried mealworms, and mealworms. When doves are hungry, they will feed on insects that include snails and slugs.

Fruits

Fruits are also another thing that doves eat often. Doves eat fruits like strawberries, mulberries, blueberries, holly berries, grapes, apples, berries, bananas, peaches, and watermelon.

Eggs

Just about all doves will eat eggs, egg shells, robin eggs, hummingbird eggs, and their own eggs. It’s common for doves and other birds to eat eggs.

Seeds

Doves absolutely love to eat seeds; it’s a favorite of theirs. Doves eat bird seed, black oil sunflower seeds, chia seeds, cotton seeds, pumpkin seed, rye grass seed, nyjer seed, grass seed, flaxseed, wild bird seed,  thistle seed, safflower seeds, and other seeds.

There are various food options that are available to doves that they will gladly eat. Doves also eat acorns, almonds, buckwheat, corn, cracked corn, deer corn, wheat, walnuts, cheese, and grains. These are safe foods for doves to consume.

Omnivores

In general, doves are omnivores so plants, fruits, and vegetables aren’t the only thing that they eat. Yes, doves can eat baby birds, frogs, fish, flowers, dead animals, from bird feeders, garden plants, hummingbirds, lettuce, and leaves.

It’s actually safe for doves to eat carrots, grub, honey, grit, insects, milo, nuts, lentils, millet, olives, and peanuts. In addition, most doves will eat meat, layers pellets, oats, rice, raisins, peas, plants, tomatoes, suet, oatmeal, quinoa, and popcorn.

Yes, doves do eat at night. Also, doves will eat rocks, pebbles, and gravel. Lastly, doves can eat pigweed, rock salt, spiders, striped sunflower seeds, pecans, and pearl millet. A dove will eat while nesting or sitting on eggs. It’s possible for doves to eat their young but not it’s not all that common.

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