How to distinguish a dove from a dove externally: signs of females and males and sex determination

Poultry breeders are engaged in breeding decorative breeds, for this it is necessary to be able to reliably determine the gender of birds. Even experienced dovecote owners do not always know how to correctly distinguish a dove from a dove externally. To distinguish between pets by sex, scientific methods are used, based on the external, vocal and behavioral signs of birds, and folk methods.

On the beak and head

When determining the sex of a bird, first of all they pay attention to external features, then to behavior. With high reliability, it is possible to distinguish a female from a male by the anatomical features of the head and beak.

Dove:

• head big;
• high forehead;
• neck short and thick;
• beak and extension above the nostrils (cere) are larger and more voluminous.

At the dove:

• head smaller;
• eyes slightly larger, stand out more from the sockets;
• neck is elongated, more graceful;
• beak small, thin, neat.

By color

Not only thoroughbred, but also ordinary street birds differ in feather color. The color is dominated by gray-blue, gray-blue, blue-black, purple, burgundy shades. Distinguishing birds is easy by the intensity of the plumage color. The color of a dove is always richer than doves. The main tone is diluted with many shades. A special shade variety is noted on the neck, and here the plumage is distinguished by a metallic sheen.Wings and tail feathers are decorated with patterns. Such a remarkable appearance of a dove is a way to attract a dove during the mating season.

The appearance of females is more modest. Usually doves are solid: gray, bluish-gray, dark gray, black. The unremarkable appearance is mimicry, a way to protect yourself from predators, making the bird hardly noticeable in an urban environment. The female sitting in the shelter on the eggs is almost impossible to detect.

Decorative breeds have their own color nuances. There are breeds in which the male and female are indistinguishable in plumage color. In some breeds, the differences are minor, for example, in males of ribbon tumblers, the stripe adorning the tail is wider than in females. And there are breeds whose representatives clearly differ in color. For example, American meat texans, in which the males are white or milky with dark brown spots, and the females are dark (brown, gray or blue).

Bird size

If the birds are he althy, fully developed, then they clearly notice the separation of males and females in terms of body size. The body of the pigeon is larger, muscular, massive, the limbs are longer.

This comparison does not work for some ornamental species. They either have individuals of the same size, or the doves are larger than the cavaliers.

Distinguishing birds by size, take into account the diversity of breeds by weight category. There are breeds with a large, medium and small physique, so only within-breed comparison is permissible. The age of the pigeon affects the external signs. Do not measure young birds. There is a high probability of making a mistake in establishing the sex, since the male simply has not grown to a normal weight.

According to the structure of the pelvis

Experienced dovecote owners prefer to distinguish between pets by the anatomical features of the pelvic bones.Taking the pigeon in your arms, you need to gently stroke it on the chest and abdomen. Gently find the paired bones in the back of the abdomen by touch. In a pigeon, the pelvic bones are close to each other, in a dove they are separated by about 2 cm. This method of identifying gender is applicable only to those females that have already laid eggs.

Voice

You can try to distinguish a dove from a dove by the voices made by pets. Although the method cannot be called reliable, since each person has his own auditory perception, which is not always, due to hearing problems or for other reasons, is objective.

But many years of experience in listening to pets by poultry farmers allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1. A pigeon's voice is louder, more clearly audible. Through cooing, gentlemen lure girlfriends during the mating season, and also prove their superiority over rivals.
2. The dove's voice is more deaf, it sounds guttural. Experts often note the similarity of the guttural voice of females with the burr of human speech.

By character

Males are mostly fighters. Loud fights are often started, even for no apparent reason. But usually conflicts are connected with the reconquest of territory or with the struggle for the favor of a dove. If males are placed in one small cage, then a fight will become inevitable. Although some males do not demonstrate "chivalrous" behavior, they behave calmly, shun more aggressive neighbors.

Doves show aggression only when they want to get rid of an annoying cavalier. Among themselves, the feathered "ladies" are not inclined to conflict.

Mating season habits

The behavior of birds changes significantly during the mating season. Males behave more actively, with persistence attract the interest of females.Cavaliers are distinguished by importunity, do not allow the chosen ones to pass, pursue on their heels, fan-shaped spreading their tail feathers and sticking out their goiter. They bully with rivals, arrange group fights. Doves also compete, but their confrontation manifests itself differently, calmly and non-conflict. From the outside, the “female” competitive struggle looks like the peaceful cooing of females sitting next to each other.

Interesting is the behavior of the birds that formed a pair. A dove that has found a fan may experience some aggression towards approaching relatives. Showing off in front of the chosen one, she fusses, dances around him, crouches on her belly. The cavalier, demonstrating interest, does not lag behind the dove a single step, cooing loudly, dancing, spreading his feathers, showing his beautifully iridescent plumage. Opens its wings, covering them with the chosen one.

Toward a person

The reaction of a pigeon and a dove to a person is different.To determine the gender of a pet, you can reach out and try to stroke the pigeon. In a feathered "man" such an action will cause irritation, a desire to step back, peck. The fact is that for a dove, a human hand gesture means a manifestation of aggression. The reaction of the dove will be calm. The pet is unlikely to pull away and, perhaps, allow itself to be stroked.

Experienced poultry farmers often practice a different way of checking gender: they take a dove by the beak, gently pull it towards them. At the same time, the male is irritated, trying to pull out his beak. The reaction of the dove is calm.

Another way is to pat the dove on the belly. The male will open his paws, the female will not react in any way.

The above methods cannot be called reliable, because each pigeon has individual character traits, behavioral characteristics and reactions to a person. Many decorative pets are attached to the owner, react calmly to his actions, fly up at the first call, behave obediently.In this case, these actions will be uninformative.

Folk ways

People domesticated the dove many thousands of years ago. Since then, several popular methods for determining the gender of pets have appeared.

Planting birds in one cage

It is difficult for an inexperienced poultry breeder to determine the sex of a pigeon by external signs. In this case, a simple method is used: two feathered pets are placed in one small cage and observed. If “men” are in the cage, then they begin to conflict, seek leadership in a limited space. If pigeons turn out to be cage neighbors, they behave quietly and friendly.

If there are individuals of different sexes in the cage, courtship begins.The male begins to make up circles near the female, cooing. Moreover, the gentleman does not retreat, even if the chosen one does not show interest in him. If the female is interested, she begins to show off: she spreads her wings, dances, crouches. The described method for determining the sex of a pigeon cannot be called reliable, since the behavior of birds individually may not meet expectations.

Using the pendulum

Uncomplicated, but denied by many experts due to the low degree of reliability, the sex determination method involves the use of a dowsing pendulum made of copper, bronze or brass.

It is necessary to act as follows:

1. Tie a woolen thread to the pendulum.
2. Take the dove in the palm of your hand.
3. With the second hand, take the pendulum by the end of the thread, hang it over the pigeon's back.
4. Wait until the pendulum starts moving. If the movement is circular, then the female is in the palm, if the longitudinal movement is parallel to the body, then the male.

The method is in demand among inexperienced poultry farmers who are fond of esotericism, who believe in the energy of living and inanimate objects.

How to determine the sex of chicks?

Distinguishing a small pigeon from a dove is more difficult than recognizing the sex of adults. Chicks that are a few years old are deprived of the external and behavioral signs characteristic of their parents. Pigeons do not differ in body structure, voice, or plumage color intensity.

There are several ways to distinguish a boy from a girl by external signs, but they cannot be called reliable, since the body sizes of chicks, like adults, are individual. A male chick may lag behind in development, and then it will be indistinguishable from little relatives sitting next to it in the nest.

Possible Distinguishing Features:

• male chicks are slightly larger;
• boys have slightly bigger heads than girls;
• in some breeds, chicks of one sex have a longer body down cover than those of the second sex.

The last statement can be verified by looking at the texan chicks. Their girls are more fluffy than boys.

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