Normally the young fledge (leave the nest) 11 to 13 days after hatching. They may leave a few days early if alarmed. A few linger in the nest up to 18 days. The parents feed the young less and less, and sometime during the two weeks after leaving the nest the young become independent. Fledglings gradually increase their activity until they are feeding and flocking with other doves.
Up to three to five months of age, young doves can be distinguished from adults. Immature birds have a light-colored margin on many of their feathers. The simplest way to distinguish between young doves less than three to five months old and adults is to look at the primary coverts, which are the small feathers on the shoulder of the wing that overlap the long feathers on the wing (see Figure 2). If any of these primary coverts are light-tipped, the bird was hatched earlier in the year. As molting progresses, these feathers are shed, starting at the base of the primaries and moving out toward the wing tip. Birds with buffy margins on the tips of many primary coverts are likely to be younger than those with few immature primary coverts. After all the immature feathers have been replaced, the young doves have their full weight and cannot be distinguished from adults.
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