Matt Bedell, age 12, of Wichita, Kansas, for his question:
Why are certain birds called turtledoves?
The free flying turtledove was not named for the stodgy turtle, who never gets himself above the ground. Language experts suggest that originally he was named for his sweet romantic song, which seems odd because his only notes are soft cooing sounds. One has to stretch one's imagination to translate this cooing note into the word turtle. But the famous bird may have been named long before people learned to write and in the meantime perhaps the original coo ah word came to sound somewhat like "turtle."
Dancing sunbeams bring the first warm touch of springtime, when bursting buds bring the tender green colors and early field flowers add fresh fragrance to air. The bird world provides the sounds that herald the spring. Wherever you live some certain bird is sure to perform his duties on schedule. In most of North America, he is a robin. In England, the people prepare to welcome the spring when they hear the song of a certain cuckoo bird. In parts of Eurasia, spring is announced by the cooing of a bird called the turtle or the turtledove.
His soft sweet cooing sounds rather like the song of our mourning dove. True, it does not sound much like the word turtle, but our remote ancestors originally intended his name to sound like his song. Scientists have mixed opinions about why he and other birds do their best singing in the springtime. They suspect that the real reason is to warn other males of their species away from their territories. Most likely this is true, but we ordinary folk feel pretty sure that the females interpret those songs as sweet serenades. Even if this is not so, surely the song of her mate must make a nesting female feel more secure.
The turtledove has 300 or so pigeon type cousins living in temperate and tropical climates throughout the world. Like all his kinfolk he is a sturdy bird and a strong flier. His plumage is speckled with rusty browns, nicely accented with white patches on the sides and neck and white tips on his tail feathers. At least one turtledove species wears a collar, somewhat similar to those of the ringdoves and ring necked pigeons.
All doves and pigeons are renowned for their family affection and most of them mate for life. But every spring the couples renew their tender ties with courtship rituals. The males strut with magnificent masculine pride. Often they scrap with rivals to defend their territories. Most of these birds feed on cereal grains and sizable areas are needed to feed the youngsters. Perhaps it is true that turtledoves coo through the nesting season to warn other turtledoves from trespassing on their properties.
Our elegant, soft voiced mourning dove is a permanent resident in the southern part of the continent. But he does most of his singing during the spring nesting season. It seems odd that hunters would want to shoot doves, but they do. The excuses are that doves snitch our grain and also make good eating. We could answer that plenty of chickens and other tasty birds are specially raised for human food ¬and that surely we can spare a few grains of this and that in exchange for such sweet songs.