I don’t know anything about birds, so maybe they just do things like this all the time, and the answer is “nothing” but, on the off chance that there is an answer, here’s a picture of two birds (I’m guessing male and female) sitting next to each other on the ground and facing opposite directions. Is this some sort of mating thing? If so, isn’t August a little late for that (told you I knew nothing about them)? Is it normal for birds to just hang out on the ground with each other? Anytime I see them, on the ground, they’re hopping around looking for food or something. Oh, and what kind of birds are they?
Those look like mourning doves.
They are resting, and keeping a look out for predators. Each takes 1/2 the horizon.
And yes, birds do frequently “just hang out” with each other, because when you’re snackfood for other critters there is safety in numbers. In significant numbers, we call such gatherings “flocks”. But duos will hang out, either as mates or just “buddies” to watch each other’s back.
Oh cool. Thanks Broomstick. Although these birds don’t seem to have a good grasp of what a predator is, since they completely ignored the dog that came rushing up to them, instead of flying away.
Going by your location they are mourning doves .
This is the time of year when baby birds (fledglings) leave the nest.
It looks to me like the bird to the rear of the picture might be a youngster. The other one is definitely an adult.
It is possible the young bird is sick or injured, or may not have learned to fly very well yet and the parent is staying nearby until it moves to a safer location. In my experience also fledglings of many species are pretty dense about what constitutes danger. Many act quite tame and will let people approach very closely.
Did the dog eat them, or otherwise attack them?
Animals are pretty good at telling the difference between something that wants to eat/maim them, and something that just has too much energy. How, I have no idea.
Mourning doves stay still in the hopes that you won’t see them. You can get very close before they burst into the air.
Obviously the female is myphed with the other bird, so she’s ignoring him!
No, but he probably planned on it, and would have if not for being leashed (he’s caught birds before, and none of them survived).
The black birds would tease my lab, when out on the rope. They would stand on the ground about 6 inches from his reach. Every once in a while I’d move the anchor, and he’d get evem with the teasers.