Lee at the dove. Where do pigeons hide their chicks? Nesting and breeding in nature

Many people are interested in the question of where doves live and how they mate. The pigeon bird is well known to the world, which we can meet almost everywhere: in squares, parks, on the streets, window sills, roofs of houses - it came to us from the steppe. Some scientists called this species gray, while others called it steppe. Considering the fact that birds can be quickly domesticated, a new type was developed - city pigeons.

We often see only adults, but rarely do we see the nests of small chicks, and therefore almost no one knows where they live. In this article we will tell you how pigeons reproduce and where their children are. We will also find out at what age they leave their parents’ nests and begin an independent life.

Habitat

Pigeons are fairly common birds around the world. Scientists have found that these individuals came to us from Europe or North Africa. In the wild they live for about five years, and at home they can live up to fifteen. It is very rare for pigeons to live to be thirty years old, but it does happen.

All pigeon breeders are interested in how pigeons mate, reproduce and feed their offspring. Because the success of this process determines whether the offspring will become strong, healthy, and whether it will be possible to breed new breeds. Therefore, first of all, you should find out why these birds are fascinating, how they behave in the wild, and how they create pairs. We will tell you in detail how pigeons mate and reproduce, as well as all the features of this process.

Mating process

Mating of pigeons can take place in different periods depending on the climate in the region. In our climatic latitudes, crossing occurs in the spring. Before we get into the question of how pigeons mate, it is necessary to determine which sex is which. Very often, sexual characteristics are not clearly expressed, the main thing, of course, is body size. Doves are usually larger than doves and rougher. Females are fragile, delicate and sophisticated. But the most accurate method of determining the sex of a bird is to observe its behavior in its normal environment.

Ready to reproduce

Typically, sexual maturity in pigeons begins at 6 months, but the best age for breeding is 1-2 years. By that time, all organ systems are formed, the immune system is strong, and the bird is ready to fulfill parental responsibilities. The bird's fertility increases every year up to 5 years.

The age of pigeons can be determined by the cere, which increases annually. The highest fertility rates are in birds that are well fed, strong and have already moulted. If they are kept in captivity, then for the winter the pigeons and doves are separated into different houses, fed with grain and vitamin supplements so that the eggshells and bones of the babies are strong.

Mating season

Like any animal, the dove also has feelings and, of course, will perform its “marriage ceremony.” Therefore, we will next talk about how pigeons reproduce (photo in the article). The males, having chosen the female they like, begin to coo near her. They swell their crops, spread their tails, spin around and coo loudly. At this time, the doves bow to the males, show their readiness to reproduce and swim up to them on their tail. If the dance took place between two males, then it ends in a fight. A similar thing happens if the female is more active than the male, then they will not be able to mate.

An interesting fact is that pairs consist of pigeons that are similar in temperament. Therefore, a low-active pigeon with a very active female will not be able to successfully mate and reproduce, just like a weak female with a lively male. If the couples are chosen correctly, then a marriage union is quickly concluded.

After that, they cuddle up to each other, affectionately pluck feathers and kiss with their beaks. It is important to know that pigeons are monogamous birds, so if you release a real pair back into the dovecote with the rest of the birds, you can be sure they will stay together forever. These birds know how to be faithful; new couples most often stay not for a couple of seasons, but for life.

Nests

A very important point in the breeding process is the arrangement of nests. Those pigeons that live in the wild independently look for secluded places to hatch, and help domestic pigeons in building their homes. If you have a large dovecote, then you can put a couple of large branches on the floor, and then the pigeons themselves will find a convenient and comfortable place for themselves.

Intercourse of pigeons

In the question of how pigeons mate (see photo in the article), we will consider two types of intercourse: natural and forced. In the first option, the male independently chooses his partner, and in the second, the man does this for him in order to breed a certain breed.

Those couples that formed naturally, are strong, faithful to each other all their lives, successfully reproduce and lay eggs. And those couples that were created forcibly are often aggressive; the males are inattentive to the female, and after mating they quickly forget about them. After this, they can still form alliances with other females.

How doves mate: anatomical process

When the female begins to prepare a clutch, all sorts of changes occur in all her organs and tissues. An increase in the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins is observed in the blood. The female has one ovary and oviduct, the male has two testes. Fertilization of eggs on the oviduct funnel occurs upon completion of mating. Afterwards, the pigeons make their mating flight. Then later the female flies into the nest and lays an egg.

Hatching eggs and birth of chicks

If mating went well, the female prepares to lay eggs. The bird's behavior will determine whether it will become a hen or not. If she moves little and sits for a long time, it means eggs will appear soon. Two weeks after mating, laying will begin, lasting several days. Usually the dove lays one egg at a time, weighing 20 grams, with a break of 40-45 hours. Afterwards the hatching begins. It can be carried out by both a female and a male for 20 days. After laying, it is not advisable to disturb the bird for a week, and when time has passed, the eggs should be ovoscoped. As a rule, a young dove successfully incubates 65% of its chicks, and a mature one - 95%.

Newborn pigeons

The chicks hatch on the 18th day after laying. The chick pecks at the shell from the middle and after a couple of hours is freed from it. Sometimes this process can take up to a day. The chicks are born without feathers and with their eyes closed, so their parents protect and warm them very carefully.

When the chicks are born, the parents feed them milk from the crop for the first two weeks, and then softened grains. The first hatched chick receives food from its parents after 3-4 hours, while the second after 15-16, so they develop unevenly. After 45 days, the pigeons already look like their parents, and it is no longer possible to distinguish them in a flock.

Why don't we see pigeons on the street?

It may seem to city dwellers that the number of pigeons is miraculously increasing; all the birds on the street are adults, but we don’t see chicks anywhere. The logical question follows: do they exist? We can assure you, there are chicks, and there is a great explanation for the fact that we don't see them. To some extent, this has to do with where the birds nest: pigeons usually build their homes in places that resemble caves and rocks. And in big cities they build houses under window sills, on roofs, under bridges. There is another reason why baby pigeons do not appear on the streets. They do not leave their nests from 4 to 6 weeks after birth until they grow up.

Residents talk about pigeons as flying rats, but I would like to note that these birds are very good and responsible parents. The male and female feed and hatch the children together, and if one parent dies, then the second will do everything to raise their offspring, even if it is very difficult for them. So, as a rule, the chicks survive.

When they become old enough to live on their own, they begin to ignore their parents and feed themselves. Young pigeons join a flock of birds and live close to their families. Pigeons also have their own territory where they constantly spend time, and if you take a bird away from there, it will try to return to its usual place.

In Christianity, the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, peace, baptism and brings the Good News. According to the Bible, Noah sent a dove to find dry land after the flood, and it brought an olive branch.
Simple city pigeons are excellent at keeping their bearings in space and always find their way home. First of all, birds remember some features of the landscape on their way, secondly, they remember smells well, and they have an “inner compass” that helps them navigate by the Sun.
There is another interesting fact that researchers encountered just a few years ago. It turns out that pigeons can distinguish between the habits of people. The experiment proceeded as follows: two researchers of approximately the same build treated pigeons differently. The first one was kind and courteous, and the second one chased them around the cage during feeding. After some time, the scientists stopped appearing in front of the pigeons, but when they came again, the birds recognized them. They avoided the one who offended them, and they flew up to the second one, who was kind to them, even if they got away with it.

There are approximately 300 species of pigeons in the world. They live in all corners of the earth, except in areas that are too cold. But most of them live in tropical climates.
City pigeons have a very interesting body structure. At first they fill the stomach, and when the food no longer fits, they send it to the crop, which consists of two bags. First, the left and then the right pouch is gradually filled. The principle is like that of hamsters.
They drink in an interesting way. Pigeons stick their beaks into the water and suck the liquid through it as if it were a straw.
Interestingly, pigeons reach speeds of up to 70 km per hour and can fly up to 900 km per day.

In this article, we told you how pigeons mate, where their offspring live, and why we don’t see little pigeons on the street. In the end, I would like to say one thing: doves are a symbol of peace, kindness and love, and therefore you need to treat them accordingly, feed them and, of course, not offend them.

Pigeons have a bad reputation today. Many people perceive them as stupid birds that shit on the streets and spread diseases. Some call them "winged rats." Although there is no basis for such an attitude, especially since pigeons are incredibly smart creatures.

Ordinary city pigeons are well oriented in space and will always find their way home. Firstly, pigeons remember landscape features along their path; secondly, they remember smells; thirdly, they have a “built-in compass” with which they navigate by the Sun. If one of these features malfunctions, the bird cannot find its way home. Banal artificial street lighting can prevent the pigeon from returning home.

Researchers at Oxford University equipped the birds with a GPS navigation system to track their flight paths. During their journey, the two pigeons had the choice of returning home individually or as a pair. The birds found a compromise and chose something in between - they set off along a common route, close to their individual routes leading home. The fact is that pigeons are capable of obeying and following the leader, but if the pigeons’ routes are completely different or directed in different directions, then compromise is not possible. It should be noted that pigeons in a flock cover the route much more efficiently than alone.

Researchers came across another interesting fact several years ago when they realized that pigeons could distinguish human faces. During the experiment, two researchers, approximately the same in build and type, treated the pigeons differently: one was kind, and the other chased them around the cage during feeding. After a certain time, the researchers stopped appearing in front of the pigeons, but when they appeared again, the birds recognized them and began to avoid the one who had behaved aggressively in the past, despite the fact that he stood still.

Among the little-known facts about pigeons, the ability of birds to remember certain information for a long time should be highlighted. Another experiment, conducted at the Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, aimed to measure the memory properties of pigeons in comparison with baboons. Pigeons and baboons were often shown a picture and a color, and the animals were required to remember the associations. The pigeons were able to remember from 800 to 1200 associations. Although they lost to the baboons in the competition, this is a good result.

Recently, research has shown that pigeons know abstract mathematics. They tend to calculate their behavior, which was previously considered the prerogative of only primates. During the experiment, three pigeons were shown three sets of objects on a screen. One set had one item, the second had two, and the third had three. All objects differed in color, shape and size. Pigeons were trained to peck on a screen, first a set with one object, then two, and later three. When they did what they were asked to do without error, the pigeons were shown sets containing from one to nine items, respectively. As a result, the pigeons were able to distinguish sets with one, two and three objects, although they were not taught that there could be more than three objects. This experiment showed that pigeons are able to understand the nature of numbers and that cause-and-effect relationships are not alien to them.

Many facts about the role of pigeons in human history are missing from textbooks. But everyone is well aware that people have been using pigeon mail since time immemorial. Therefore, during the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, the city's defenders used this talent of pigeons to transmit messages, which was faster than the telegraph. For obvious reasons, less than 10% of birds survived the hostilities of the First World War. Many of the survivors were awarded Mary Deakin medals for their invaluable services.

4. Pigeons tend to behave superstitiously

In 1947, Skinner published the results of an experiment in which pigeons with low weights were placed in a cage. They were fed regularly at regular intervals. Over time, 6 out of 8 pigeons showed interesting behavior. One of the birds regularly repeated the same movement - sticking its head into the corner of the cage, the other continuously moved around the cage in a circle. The fact is that the birds decided that they were fed only because of their strange behavior.

3. Relatives of the Dodo bird

DNA analysis of pigeons has shown similarities with the extinct dodo bird. A relative of the modern pigeon is the colorful Nicobar pigeon, which lives in southeast Asia and the Nicobar Islands. Before this scientific discovery, it was difficult to determine which family the extinct dodo bird belonged to, since it was characterized by unique external physical features.

2. Pigeons can come in different colors

It seems to many that pigeons are mostly medium-sized, dark gray in color and live on city streets. Most of them, yes, but that's just one type. Pigeons live all over the world, and many of them look very beautiful. For example, there are fruit pigeons that surprise with their bright green, red and yellow hues.

1. Pigeons are several thousand years old

Pigeons can be called human companions. The first documentary mention of them appeared more than 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. In Egypt, the remains of pigeons were found in ancient human burials. There have been cases in history when people treated pigeons as sacred birds. They were worshiped, they were exalted. Despite the fact that some species of pigeons have disappeared and become rare, they have coexisted with people for thousands of years.

It is important for the breeder to know how to distinguish a dove from a dove: this will help in taking into account the flock and reproductive capabilities. Various methods are used to determine the sex of these birds. This is the structure of the body, behavior (like a dove hugs a dove), vocal characteristics (how a male coos). In addition, a folk technique is also used to distinguish a female from a male.

When a dove and a dove are sitting side by side, the male usually hugs his girlfriend

Some sources claim that experienced pigeon breeders can distinguish between pigeons. However, it happens that they are also mistaken.

Methods for determining gender

External characteristics

Dove and dove differ in size. If the male is without genetic abnormalities, then he is larger than the female. However, this method does not work in the case of decorative varieties. In such breeds, the male looks more graceful and fragile than the dove.

Another way to determine the gender of a member of a flock of pigeons is to look at:

head: in females it is smaller, the eyes are more expressive and protruding, the neck is thinner;
beak: in females the base of the beak is narrower, while in males it is thicker and blunter, the ceres are better developed.

Disadvantages of this technique:

individual external characteristics of different pigeon breeds (in meat breeds, the “boys” are much larger);
age: an old female has coarser eyelids than a young male specimen.

Using the autosex line method, it is easy to find out whether the person in front of you is a “boy” or a “girl.” Experienced pigeon breeders who understand the characteristics of the breed will determine the gender by color: for example, males have a lighter color of plumage.

The male is usually larger than the female

Pelvic structure

The pelvic bones are located under the rib cage, in the area of the caudal region. In females, the distance between them is wider (no less than the phalanx of a finger), in males they almost close. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not applicable to birds that have not yet begun laying eggs.

You can also make a mistake in the case of specimens with a loose physique or those who have previously had rickets and suffer from a lack of calcium.

Behavioral characteristics

Older pigeon breeders advise pulling the bird by the nose. According to them, females react calmly to such treatment, and male specimens break out. In practice, the livestock behaves unpredictably in such a situation; sometimes females are more active and aggressive.

Disadvantages of this method:

often this or that reaction indicates temperament and character;
We are also talking about tameness and stress resistance.

If you put two active and aggressive males in a cage, a conflict will begin. This happens due to the struggle for living space, the desire to find out which of them is stronger. This is in contrast to two females, who coexist peacefully and even coo. Specimens of different sexes begin to fallow: the dove hugs the dove and actively cares for her.

Caged doves will not fight each other

During the mating season, male birds behave actively. They spread their tail feathers, inflate their crop, and take a vertical position. During courtship, the dove hugs the dove and chases her. If you place a female with a male, her behavior will be calmer. She coos, runs away from pursuit and falls on her tail. If she accepts courtship, she spreads the feathers on her lower back, bows and nods.

Disadvantages of this method:

sometimes male pigeons behave inactively;
pugnacity and peacefulness depend on the breed and individual character of the bird;
in a stressful situation (at the market, etc.), the behavior of birds differs from usual, so the buyer is easily mistaken.

According to breeders, during courtship it will be possible to distinguish affiliation both by the way the dove hugs the dove and by its behavior towards the person. If you take the bird by both wings with one hand and stroke the breast with the other, the “boy” will press his paws together (which “girls” do not do).

During the mating season, it is not difficult to distinguish the sex of pigeons

Traditional methods

Determination of gender in the first option occurs by voice and is not always characterized by high accuracy. Breeders claim that the male's voice is louder and rougher. According to some pigeon breeders, the sounds made by the female are more chesty and “burrous”.

Wild representatives, in addition to the sign of how a dove hugs a dove, can also be identified by mating, which occurs only during the mating season.

Another popular method is to take a brass, bronze or copper pendulum and hold it over the back of the bird. If it is a female, the plumb line rotates in a circle, if it is a male, it swings along the ridge. The method is dubious, but some novice breeders use it.

Chicks

Determining whether the person in front of you is a “boy” or a “girl” is even more difficult than in the case of adult representatives. Behavior (as in adults, when a dove hugs a dove) has not yet formed. Male chicks usually have larger heads and are larger. However, for some breeds there are exact criteria: “girls” Texans have long fluff, while “boys” have short fluff.

The Texan pigeon has pronounced sexual differences

Despite the approximate probability of each method, consider the results they show. This will help:

avoid further difficulties in forming pigeon pairs;
identify individuals with hormonal or genetic disorders.

The listed methods will tell you how to distinguish a dove from a dove. All of them are not 100 percent accurate, much depends on the characteristics of the breed, age, individual qualities (a dove hugs a dove, but more active behavior on the part of an aggressive female is also possible). However, these techniques will help the breeder in identifying overly feminine male birds or overly active females.

Almost any bird of the pigeon family can fly well. Their entire body is designed to make it easier to stay in the air. The small size of the internal organs and the absence of unnecessary weights (such as teeth, bladder) make them light. A pigeon can reach speeds of up to 100 km per hour. The highest flight altitude is from 1 to 3 km. You will learn many other details from this article.

Speed and maneuverability in flight

We talked about the body structure, plumage and colors of birds of this order in the article. Now let's talk about other important points.

There are two types of flight of pigeons - sailing and rowing. They can alternate with each other. Birds use the first by taking off and gaining sufficient height in an area where air currents move continuously. Soaring in a circle, the bird from time to time connects its open wings.

The bird's rowing flight is the main way of gaining height and moving. When the wing rises, the flight feathers rotate so that air passes between them, and when lowered, the wing becomes dense. Due to the wind created, the dove flies.

These birds can also “fly” in place. At the same time, they make fluttering movements with their wings and spread their tail, which prevents them from moving forward. In normal flight, this part of the body is of great importance - it serves as a rudder.

Briefly about the physiology of pigeons

All pigeons have a strong but light skeleton, consisting almost entirely of hollow bones. Its mass is only 9% of the total body weight. Most of the vertebrae are fused, which gives stability to the body in flight. But the tail is very mobile. The muscles are best developed on the chest. They make up up to 25% of the total weight of the bird.

Representatives of this order spend almost their entire lives in flight or on the ground, nesting among stones or in other shelters. That's why pigeons don't sit on trees, or rather, they don't like to do so. As a place of rest and nesting, the earth is more native to them.

The skin of pigeons is completely devoid of sebaceous and sweat glands. But there are complex respiratory organs: air sacs, bronchi and lungs, lower larynx, trachea, upper larynx and nasal cavity.

There are peculiarities in the digestive system of pigeons. Like other birds, they have a crop, a stomach consisting of two sections, but no gall bladder. However, the opinion about the absence of bile is a misconception. It exists, but is directly released into the intestines.

Looking at the sun and not going blind: sense organs

Pigeons are adapted to a diurnal lifestyle. In light, their eyes see very well, and the bird relies heavily on vision.

The iris of the eye, like the diaphragm, controls the amount of light entering. And it’s so good that a dove can sit opposite the sun and look directly at it for many hours. Therefore, if you have this bird at home and it likes to sit on the windowsill on a sunny day, you can be sure that bright light will not harm it. However, with the onset of darkness, the acuity of a pigeon's vision decreases.

Pigeons also have very sensitive, acute hearing. Moreover, their ears, like those of most birds, are devoid of shells and are marked on the outside only by a barely noticeable fold of skin.

Pigeons can distinguish all tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, sour. They smell poorly, but they have a more or less developed sense of touch. Sensitive nerve endings are located on the bird's legs, around the eyes and on the beak.

Nesting and breeding in nature

Pigeons have only one pair for life. In this case, mating of birds is preceded by mating games. Interestingly, males enter into conflicts with each other, but even victory does not guarantee the female’s favor. She makes a choice relying only on her own instinct.

Female pigeons are called doves. Before mating, the couple grooms each other: they pinch feathers, cuddle together, and “kiss” with their beaks. The male displays plumage and strength by fluffing his feathers, opening his wings and dancing. Two weeks after mating, the dove begins laying eggs, which last up to three days. Young birds usually lay two eggs, older birds only one. The eggs weigh about 20 g. Both the female and the male hatch.

Pigeons nest between stones or in caves - where predators cannot reach the masonry. The nest itself is simple, it looks like a bunch of branches and grass. It is used by birds several times.

Pigeon chicks hatch after 16-19 days. They hatch at different times. The male and female take turns feeding them. After a month, the babies are ready to fly. They become sexually mature birds after six months.

Reproduction of birds in a dovecote

Artificial mating of pigeons is used in breeding work. At home, bird breeding begins in March-April. Before this, you need to carry out a general cleaning in the dovecote and put special houses there for ferrying birds. The newlyweds will live there. Straw or hay is placed inside the houses to make them soft.

Before mating, females are allowed to fly longer. Also, a month before the procedure, it is better to separate the boys from the girls in order to stimulate the pigeons’ interest in each other and give them a rest.

Next, you can let the birds choose each other themselves, or you can force them together by putting them in one box. The latter matters when you need to mate strictly defined pigeons. However, fertilization in this case is more difficult to achieve, and males can be aggressive.

Sometimes two females and even males can form a pair. At the same time, they behave exactly the same as ordinary pairs of pigeons of different sexes. Females even lay and incubate eggs, but the chicks, of course, do not hatch from them. Such pigeons make excellent brood hens for other people's eggs if the dove dies or for some reason abandons the clutch.

How long do birds live in nature and in captivity?

How many years pigeons live depends on many factors. These are the climate, the completeness and diversity of the diet, free or home keeping. In the northern regions, birds live much less than their southern relatives. The cold climate, lack of nutrition, and lack of sun have an effect.

In nature, the lifespan of a bird does not exceed 8 years. Predators have an influence here, as many animals prey on pigeons. In addition, in the natural environment it is more difficult to shelter from bad weather and find good food, but it is easier to encounter infections. Even simple proximity to humans prolongs the life of birds. Human habitation has fewer predators; you can always find food and shelter from the cold.

Domestic pigeons live much longer than wild ones - up to 20 years. The work of breeders who breed physically strong, disease-resistant birds also plays a certain role in this. This allows them to exist actively for many years.

Note that how long pigeons live also depends on the breed. Most often, long-livers are found among ornamental birds.

Domestication of wild representatives of the species

Even in ancient times, people began to tame and breed pigeons. Most scientists are inclined to believe that the first bird that was tamed by man was the rock pigeon we are familiar with. It is impossible to establish the date, but according to rough estimates, this happened 5-10 thousand years ago.

According to one version, the pigeon first became a close neighbor of man in the Middle East. Agriculture flourished then, and birds were attracted by the availability of plants and seeds.

According to another assumption, birds settled in ancient temples that people built on the sea coast. Finally, it is assumed that man tamed and began to breed the pigeon at home for meat and eggs.

Today, these birds are less often kept for their meat (there are special breeds for this). For many, breeding beautiful and peaceful pigeons is a pleasant hobby. It allows you to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle, because a flock of pigeons circling in the sky is a very beautiful, peaceful sight.

Pros and cons of birds living next to humans

How closely pigeons coexist with people has positive and negative sides for both.

So, in rural areas it is easier for birds to find food, but sometimes they can harm plantings. Pigeons in the city can serve as decoration and even a kind of attraction. Is it possible to imagine, for example, Trafalgar Square without flocks of pigeons? Or Venice's St. Mark's Square.

However, when there are many birds, they cause serious harm:

pollute the surrounding area with droppings and feathers;
plants are pecked;
They destroy buildings and monuments, trying to use their beaks to pull wind-blown seeds out of small cracks.

Some people try to avoid pigeon habitats for fear of becoming infected. Of course, birds can carry psittacosis, histoplasmosis and other infections, but in an ordinary city the chance of getting infected from birds is small. It is even less than the possibility of catching the disease from other pets.

Variety of breeds - from chickens to peacocks

Today there are almost 800 breeds, not counting wild birds, which include the order Pigeonidae. They are divided into three groups: sports, decorative and meat. In our country, breeders and fanciers keep 200 breeds of pigeons. As a rule, they live in dovecotes, but sometimes they are kept as pets in a cage that is placed on the windowsill.

The largest group is decorative pigeons. These are puffers (they inflate their crop like a ball), chickens (for example, the Modena pigeon), Asian (similar to peacocks), and exhibition tumblers. Russians love colored breeds. These are the Saxon fairy swallow, the Russian Arkhangelsk and starling pigeons, and the Danish subian.

The main characteristic of racing pigeons is the ability to reach high speeds and cover enormous distances. After the first competitions held in Belgium, professionals developed a breed of pigeons called “travelers”, or “Voyageurs”. From them came modern high-speed birds. Some of them can fly at speeds of up to 145 km per hour.

Meat pigeons - king and carnot breeds - are not common in Russia. In other countries they are bred for food. The peculiarity of such birds is their large weight, up to a kilogram.

Continuing the topic, you will learn about the meaning of the image of a dove in the culture of different nations and the unusual abilities of these birds.

If the information in the article was interesting to you, share it with your friends.

Leave a comment so we can know your opinion.

How to distinguish a dove from a dove

The basic rules are drawn from the appearance and behavior of wild pigeons. In nature, the male is always larger. The main task of the female is to raise offspring, so she should be inconspicuous to predators, which means she should have discreet gray plumage. These birds create stable pairs, so the difference is especially noticeable between two individuals when they are close.
In the process of breeding new breeds, the above characteristics ceased to be absolute. And now to determine gender they also take into account:

size of head, beak;
color;
exterior: size, feather color, structure of the pelvic bones;
behavioral characteristics, including voice, behavioral characteristics.

Did you know?Pigeons have a unique eye structure. He is not afraid of bright light or laser flashes.

By beak and head

The male is distinguished by a high, steep forehead, a more powerful and short neck, and a large rounded head. The female is more graceful and has a small head on a longer neck. The dove's eyes are larger and more expressive. The beak and cere of the male are coarser and thicker.
The age of the individual also matters. The young pigeon is smaller and more graceful than the old one. Sizes are taken into account within one breed, since males of small and medium breeds are always smaller than large breed individuals.

By color

Females have dull plumage. The male color is more intense, often interspersed with additional colors:

more intense neck color;
the presence of a metallic sheen of the cervical plumage.

Often the colors of the male form additional patterns on the wings and tail. An exception may be representatives of ornamental breeds. Here the plumage of representatives of both sexes can be the same in intensity.

Did you know?In nature, wild pigeons do not perch on trees. They prefer rocks. This is why city dwellers love monuments - they remind them of rocks.

By bird size

The male is always larger, with a massive body. At the same time, it is also heavier. The female is more graceful, shorter, with a small head. Please note that some ornamental breeds have larger females. This fact is necessarily described in the exterior characteristics of the breed.

According to the structure of the pelvis

To determine, take the bird in your hands and stroke its lower belly. Closer to the tail you will feel two thin bones. The distance between them in the female is about 1 cm, and in the male they are located very close to each other.

Important!Females of all pigeon breeds require the presence of a male to lay eggs. Therefore, some breeders use a trick and equip the oviposition site with a mirror.

This method does not work for birds that have had bone diseases, including rickets. When purchasing pigeons for breeding, keep in mind that such individuals will no longer give you absolutely healthy offspring.

By voice

It is believed that the male’s voice is rougher, the sounds he makes are sharper and louder. Females mainly make cooing sounds. During the mating season, the male demonstrates his power to his rivals with a loud roar.

By behavior

Two males in a cage usually decide issues of hierarchical dominance and may fight. Doves are calmer. Two birds of different sexes in the same cage begin to fallow. The dove takes a proud pose and begins to care for the dove.

If the female does not like the suitor, she runs away from him. During the mating season, the partner fluffs his feathers, inflates his crop, coos loudly and circles around his partner. Accepting courtship, she coos softly, sits down on her tail and bows.

Did you know?Despite their adaptation to cold climates, most of the 300 species of pigeons existing on the planet live in the tropics.

Folk method

To determine the gender, a brass or copper pendulum is used. It is centered over the bird's back. If it swings in a circle, it’s a female, if it swings along the body, it’s a male. Another popular method is stroking the chest.
In this situation, the male tightens his paws, but the female does not. There is no scientific basis for traditional methods of sex determination yet.

Important!Pigeon meat is 6 times more nutritious than chicken. And if you add any berries to the bird’s diet 2 weeks before serving, the meat will be even more tasty and aromatic.

They are based only on many years of experience of pigeon breeders. It is believed that if you pull a bird's beak, the dove will take it calmly, and the dove will begin to break free.

Video: method of determining the sex of pigeons