The two sets of turtle doves are depicted looking pretty cozy in the branches of the Stuartia tree, which Audubon wrote symbolized purity and chastity. In the bottom scene, the female sits in the nest while the male tends to her, and in the top scene, the female is perched on the edge of the branch with the male reaching out to her. The turtle dove is also known as the mourning dove, and in the past was referred to as the Carolina turtle dove or Carolina pigeon, which is how Audubon referred to the bird when he depicted it in the 1830s. Read more about the turtle dove here and here, and also check out their entry in the Guide to North American Birds.
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
