How can you tell a pigeon from a dove
There are a number of reasons that require a breeder to be knowledgeable in determining the sex of his pigeons. With knowledge in this area, you can accurately keep flock records and have a clear idea of the reproductive abilities of pets. There are a lot of methods, the application of which makes it possible to cope with this task. Thanks to them, any owner of such birds will be able to learn how to distinguish a pigeon from a dove.
How to tell a pigeon from a dove
Definition by external features
Practice shows that you can distinguish a pigeon from a dove by simply analyzing the features of the appearance of these birds. This method is easy and has a minimal probability of making a mistake. If we highlight the key differences between males and females of pigeons, then their list will look like this:
- Provided that individuals do not suffer from certain genetic pathologies, the size of the male is somewhat large. However, do not forget that in the case of representatives of decorative breeds, this principle does not work (most often everything is exactly the opposite: females are larger than males).
- As a rule, a pigeon has a more graceful neck and a head that is smaller than that of a pigeon. In addition, the boy's eyes are in most cases less expressive than those of the girl, and their bulge is much weaker.
- Female representatives have a narrower base of the beak, as well as its smaller thickness. Also, in a pigeon, waxes are more developed than in doves.
Talking about how to distinguish a pigeon from a dove, it is necessary to mention the color of the plumage of these remarkable birds. Experienced breeders note that the feathers of males are much lighter, and this is true for the vast majority of pigeon breeds.
In addition, such a method for determining the sex of a pigeon, as an analysis of the location of the pelvic bones located under the rib cage, deserves attention. In males, they practically close, while the distance between them in females is comparable to the length of the phalanx of a human finger. True, the technique described above is irrelevant for too young pigeons who have not yet begun to lay eggs, and therefore have a narrow pelvis. Also, this method does not allow you to accurately determine the sex of pigeons that have had rickets (due to a calcium deficiency in such individuals, the pelvis is wide, regardless of gender).
Differences in behavior
Among all the methods for determining the sex of a pigeon, the analysis of the interaction of these birds with the environment is far from the last place. By carefully observing the behavior of the birds considered in this material, one can draw conclusions about their sex with a fairly high level of accuracy. As for the main points, the consideration of which is desirable in such situations, their list is as follows:
- A pair of male pigeons is extremely rarely calm.In most cases, males trapped in the same cage behave aggressively: they fight in order to determine the dominant individual. For two females caught in a common space, this behavior is not characteristic, and therefore they most often get along with each other.
- Many breeders believe that to determine the sex of pigeons, you just need to pull these birds by the nose. It is believed that males respond to such stimuli more aggressively than females. At the same time, this technique does not take into account the individual characteristics of each individual individual, and therefore may require additional confirmation.
- With the onset of the mating season, males are highly active, while doves behave much calmer. At such a time, the male can be identified by a loose tail, a swollen goiter and an elongated vertical position of the body. Of course, the behavior of pigeons in the process of courting females can also differ: for example, be relatively lethargic, which is due to the specific nature of the birds and the peculiarities of the situation.
Some breeders distinguish males and females of the considered biological species in relation to humans. If you gently take such a pet with one hand by the two wings, and with the other - stroke the breast, the tucked paws will indicate that it belongs to the male sex.
Folk ways
Listing the methods through which you can distinguish between pigeons and doves, one cannot fail to note those of them that are known to many generations of owners of these birds. Alternatively, you can listen to the sounds emitted by birds, allowing you to draw the following conclusions:
- in comparison with females, males coo much louder and clearer (first of all, this is due to the desire of the gentlemen to attract attention to themselves, as well as the desire to scare away potential competitors);
- the voice of the dove is distinguished by a noticeably deeper, guttural timbre, because of which its cooing is often called "burr".
The above technique cannot be considered accurate, which is explained by the subjectivity of human perception.
Another method, also belonging to the category of folk and used by many pigeon owners, is to use a metal pendulum: copper, brass or bronze. It is worth noting that it does not differ in complexity, providing for the step-by-step execution of the following actions:
- first you need to tie a regular thread to a small piece of any of the previously listed metals;
- in one hand you need to take a bird, and in the other - a made pendulum, placing it above the back of the feathered pet;
- if there is a circular rotation of the plumb line, then a dove is in front of the breeder, and the situation when the pendulum swings along the line of the spine indicates that the bird is male.
Many experts question this method, since it is far from always possible to distinguish a pigeon from a dove with its help, without making a mistake. Nevertheless, the described method continues to enjoy considerable popularity, especially among novice breeders.
How to be with babies
Regarding the determination of the sex of pigeon chicks, it is reasonable to note that such a task is much more difficult than in the case of adults. This is explained by the fact that babies who have recently been born do not yet have the overwhelming majority of the distinctive characteristics listed in this material: the structural features of the pelvis, the width of the beak, the specifics of behavior, etc. However, based on some signs, it seems possible to find out the sex of the pigeon chicks. The main thing here is to be guided by the following points:
- as a rule, small males have a slightly larger head than females;
- most often, males are slightly larger;
- depending on the breed, there may be some other differences, for example, the long length of the down.
In particular, the last point is very relevant for growing Texans, whose females are able to boast of noticeably longer down than males belonging to this remarkable breed.