Do pigeons and doves refrain from mating after their lifelong mate dies?

Question

I just came across this quote by Jerome (I don't know in what book he originally wrote it):

Even the pigeons and doves don't take another partner if their companions pass away.

I don't take Jerome's statement to mean that it has literally never ever happened in history. I think a better interpretation would be that he's saying pigeons and doves very rarely take a mate after the death of their companion.

Is this true? I turn to Encyclopedia Britannica for more information here:

Pigeons are monogamous; i.e., they mate for life, and the survivor accepts a new mate only slowly.

So the question is, how slowly? Is it rare for a survivor to find a new mate, as Jerome claims?

To restate, the claim of Jerome's that I'm seeking evaluation of is composed of the following: Pigeons and doves mate for life and only very rarely seek a new partner while their current mate is alive. Moreover, they are no more likely to seek a new partner even after their mate has died.

What I'm not seeking evaluation of, is any discussion of "marriage" as a construct within the animal kingdom, or a rigidly literal reading of his statement that they "don't [ever!] take another partner."

In examining the claim, it may be useful to examine whether the answer varies depending on the species of pigeon and dove.

Answer 1

Their monogamy does seem to be a well-established claim but not that they never form another pair-bond:

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The source you quote doesn't support St Jerome's claim. So you could probably drop "and never remarry" part of the question title.

Pigeons are monogamous; i.e., they mate for life, and the survivor accepts a new mate only slowly.

Encyclopedia Britannica

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Many long-lived birds form long-term pair bonds, but they sometimes divorce.

Experiments in pair-bond stability in domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica)

As you might expect (?) - it's complicated

Here, the probability of divorce in domestic pigeons (Columba livia) was tested experimentally, and separately for both male and female. Breeding success and pair bond duration of pairs was manipulated. After separation from the mate for up to 60 days the subject (female or male) was allowed to court to a new mate for 4 hours. Then the subject was given a choice between the old and the new mate presented simultaneously on either side of the experimental cage. A further possibility to choose between the two mates was given in later stage in the familiar aviary. Female subjects without breeding success showed little courtship towards the old male, especially when they had nest-cooed a lot to the new male during the four hours exposure. In the latter cases they chose the new male in the experimental choice situation. The preference for the old mate in the choice situation by females with breeding success was positively related to the duration of the previous pair bond. All females that had been paired for at least 200 days (N = 11), chose their old males. On the other hand, 86% of the females that had been paired for less than 152 days, chose the new male. Forty percent of the male subjects with breeding success preferred the new female in the experimental choice situation. This preference was especially shown by males that had performed frequent nest-cooing during the four hours exposure period. In the aviary, however, all males with or without breeding success reoccupied their nest at once and started nest-cooing and finally courted the female which was able to defend access to the nest against other females. This was always the male's former mate. Males preferred to occupy a nest over courting with any particular female.