Zebra Doves - From Hatchlings To Fledglings

A pair of Zebra Doves nested on one of my many bougainvillea plants last month October 2016. A well chosen site in my opinion with shelter from the sun and rain (courtesy of my front porch) and my dog out front keeping the stray cats at bay. The nest was well placed too at about 7 feet high off the ground. Like most bird nests it is made of twigs, with size measuring about 3" across - looks a bit undersized compared to the parent bird, in my opinion. The gaps between these twigs however made the nest look rather 'half-built'. But still, it did get the job done; it managed to raise 2 chicks.

Zebra Dove Hatchlings

Owing to its 'half-built' appearance, I didn't realised that the nest was ready until I saw a Dove sitting in it one day. Eggs had been laid a few days earlier without me knowing - I can't see because of the nest's height.

About 11 days later this is what I saw - a baby Zebra Dove:

I think another chick is partially visible, hidden by the twigs that made up the nest (under the beak of the parent Dove if you look closely).

5 Days Old

I am astonished at the rate in which the chick grew. This is how it looks like at 5 days old:

8 Days Old

At 8 Days old:

Not sure when the adult feathers first appeared on the chick though - I should have been more observant, shame on me.

10 Days Old

By day 10, the baby feathers are almost gone. The chick is about the size of a sparrow now.

11 Days Old

Below is one of the last few pictures that I took of the Zebra Dove chicks. It is perching at about a hop away from its nest. This picture was taken was around 3 P.M. Two hours later at 5 P.M., the two chicks are not in their nest anymore. I have not seen them since.

From hatchlings to fledglings in 11 days, now that's pretty quick - I wasn't expecting this. It's just amazing.