Mourning doves eat mostly seeds. Seeds are at least 99% of their diet. Rarely, they will eat snails or insects. Mourning doves generally eat enough to fill their stomach and then fly away to digest while resting. They often swallow gravel or sand to help them digest. At bird feeders, mourning doves are attracted to corn, millet, and sunflower seeds. Mourning doves do not dig or scratch for seeds, but only eat what they can see. They will sometimes perch on plants and eat from them.