# Taming a Single Pigeon While In a Flock



## goulian (May 15, 2007)

As I had posted a few months ago, I adopted a small flock of local ferals just because I like to feed them. It started out with a few birds (5 or 6) and now I get as many as forty each morning waiting for me to arrive with breakfast. About a week ago, a new bird arrived. I am assuming it is the youngster of one of the flock. It is a beautiful light brown with light primary and secondary feathers tipped with black and a regular gray with black band colored tail. This guy is so tame it is unreal. He comes to my hand, head, knees, any place he can land. At first it was to eat, but now he will just sit on my arm or head and watch the others eat. He lets me stroke his back and I held one of his wings out for a friend to get a plcture of. 

Anyway, the question I have is can a flocked pigeon he tamed to the point of total trust while it has its flock members all around it? I live just across the street from where I feed the flock and would like to take this beautiful guy/gal home to get it away from the influence of the others for a while, but I don't want to kidnap it to do so. I would even like to get it to come visit me on ocassion at home. I know it sounds a bit silly, but does anyone on this board have any ideas as to how I might get this bird bond that much with me while still being a member of it's flock? 

I don't know if I have explained my question well enough, but if anyone can help with some thoughts, I would appreciate it.

By the way, this site is awesome. I read it every day, several times usually. Way to go.

Take care and happy pigeoning.

Mike


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

HI MIKE, I sure would like to see a picture of this bird this bird may in fact not realy be a youngster from this flock but a bird that someone lost. The way this bird has bonded to you in such a short time leads me to believe that it has been around humans before,and the color that you speak of is not a normal color in the wild a picture sure would help. .GEORGE


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Hi George,

I failed to mention that during the first two days it was in my feeding frenzy, it squeaked several times and chased a few of the larger birds around looking for a hand out. It also moved its wings as youngers do while feeding. Every few days, a new bird seems to appear with the flock. Always small, always dark eyes, and usually pretty timid, unlike the one I posted about. I will try to post a picure. This bird is colored unlike any pigeon I have ever seen, wild or kept. The brown is solid from the top of the head to the lower breast, where it turns sharply white and stays white to the tail, which is gray. The coverts of the wings are a brown with white highlights, on each brown feather, giving a kida of light mottled appearance. The flight feathers are really unusual, being off white tipped with black for the entire length of the wing, giving it a one inch solid black border. The head, as I said earlier, is solid brown except for the cheeks having an area below each eye where white is mixed with the brown, which I did not mention earlier, giving it a distinguished silver sideburn effect. Very nice. Pretty sure it's feral. No band or anything like that. But, as you say, it is always possible that it was raised by someone. Take care and thanks for your reply.

Mike


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

MIKE,I feel that this bird may be a ressive red the color is more of a rusty red/brown type I don't want to confuse you with genetics.But the fact that this bird has a blue tail and the rest is this brown color as you discribe it leads me to believe its recessive red.would love to see a picture. .GEORGE


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Mike, 



It sounds like a post fledgling or sub-adult who while having come to recently eat and I assume drink on his own, is none-the-less missing his parents' attentions, and, for now, has noticed you to be acting in a somewhat careing way toward his fellows, and so he is sort of seeing what else there might be to it.

This is fairly rare, but does happen.


Or, possibly, he was hand raised by someone, and released maybe a little early, and is missing the human-Pigeon interaction modes he wanted to finish up his adolesence.


Where are you located?


Phil
l v


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

I will try to get a photo up after work tonight. I want to correct one thing I said about the wing colors. The feathers are not actually brown with white highlights. I am looking at a picture of it and each feather of the wing is the like the primaries and secondaries, except that they are white, bordered with brown, not the black of the primaries and secondaries. Again, very pretty. I hope I can get this photo up ok. I could describe it for hours and still not get the actual colors right. Wish me luck. 

Mike


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Well, I am trying to put up two pictures. Here goes:

It looks like it worked. If no photos are here, please let me know. Thanks.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Mike,

What wonderful pictures. The bird is really pretty, and I can see how tame it is. Perhaps it was someones pet.

Thank you for befriending them, I'm sure they enjoy the food and company.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Very pretty bird indeed and he seems to be happy to have found a friend in you.
Thank you for taking such good care of our darling birds.

Reti


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Phil, I am currently on a military base in the Republic of Korea. I am retired from the Army and work in a small military library in an education venter. I don't know how popular pigeon keeping is here. There are a few folks who keep homing pigeons and on ocassion, some folks have fantails. But overall, not a lot of pigeon fanciers. 

I read these boards every day and feel like I know some of you. I know all of you guys names from reading your advise to other pigeon people. There are no better friends for the pigeon populations than you all are. Take care.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Mike, it is very nice to hear from you again. The pigeon is quite beautiful and George will be able to tell you more about it. It really cares for you. You don't often see them laying down (like she is doing in the 2nd picture) on someone unless they totally trust you. 

If you can't keep her as a pet, I would recommend just continuing as you are so she will keep some of her wildness and be able to cope at times when you can't feed the flock. As it matures, her natural reserve may kick in and she won't be quite as "comfy" around you.


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## SkyofAngels (Jun 28, 2007)

What a beautiful bird that is. I love the bottom picture of the wings. Amazing. Made me think I am missing out by only having whites. I know you don't want to "kidnap" this bird but I think that keeping it as a pet might be a good idea, there is a lot of dangers out there for a pigeon and I know that you would be heartbroken if this one meets tragedy.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

You know, I went back and took another look at the second picture and just noticed the blue tail and the blue trim on her wings. The markings are really beautiful. Very unusual color combination.


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## pigeonpoo (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi Mike,

The photos are amazing. I have raised all my pigeons from eggs and not one of them is tame enough to allow me to stretch out it's wing in the way yours does. 

Take good care.

Sx


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

JMO, Mike.

If you are staying in Korea and would be able to keep this pij as a "pet" in a place where he/she could have some flying room, I would opt for that. Of course, down the road, you could also maybe "find" a mate if so desired...

Your pij is absolutely beautiful! Sure would hate to see anything happen to him/her.

Are predators a big worry there?

Thanks for the lovely pictures! Wishing you BOTH all the best...please keep us informed. I remember you posting before... 

Hugs and Scritches

Shi


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Here is one more photo of him/her. The wings of the pigeon flying towards the camera frames it very well. Take care.

Mike


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## bluecheck (Aug 17, 2006)

Just saw these pics tonight. There's no doubt the bird's a juvenile, about 7 weeks old from the looks of it in the photos. It's a tortoiseshell grizzle, likely a t-pattern with lots of undergrizzle and maybe flash grizzle as well. It a bit unusual for the tail to be so dark on a bird like that, and given the chance I'd love to be able to play with it in a breeding loft. It looks to be a feral that simply wound up lucky with someone who feed it and who didn't kill it when it decided to stay friendly. I'll bet the bird is also one that will be "docile" on the nest (that's a simple genetic condition as well) I just hope it manages to make it to adulthood in the big wide world of "evil" pigeon hating people as well.

That bird is like one I had as a boy - it'd be interesting to know if it was wild reared and is the nestmate of the blue also eating, or if they were hand reared by someone and then released into a feral flock


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Hi Mike, it's been awhile...

How is your beautiful pij doing now? Fine, I hope!!

Hugs and Scritches  

Shi & Squeaks


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi Mike,

I just read the thread you posted tonight. It is great to see you posting again.

You have some good looking pigeon friends in Korea. 

The pictures are great and colorful.Thanks!

(From a fellow X-Army guy in the 1/17th Mech Infantry 2nd Division )


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Hi All.

You are right Blue, it is a juvenile. When it first appeared with the rest of the flock, it was running around vibrating it's wings and sqeaking like a rubber toy. It is indead a beautiful specimen. I have never heard of a tortoiseshell grizzle, but that seems to fit the pattern very well. Thanks for teaching me the new term. It does not squeak any more, but it is still my favorite for all the pigeons. Og late, they last five or six newest additions to the feeding frenzy have each be quite beautiful, also. White thile a blue barred tail, two very similar mottled black and white, two identical pale brown (red?) and very light grey. Very nice. It seems that the prettiest of the birds seem to show up in late summer, early fall. 

Mr Squeaks and Victor, the birds to be doing very well. They meet me each morning with great enthusiasim. I would like to think it is beause the really like me, but I am sure it is because they know I have great morning goodies for them. They are the highlight of my day. 

Yes, Victor, I remember the 1/17th Infantry very well. They used to do 90 day rotations to the DMZ with 1/31st and 1/32nd Infantry, I believe, if I remember right. It has been some time since then and you would not recognize Camp Casey or Tongduchon now at all.

Well, all you folks take care and enjoy your feathered friends.



Mike


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## FuzzyWings (Sep 23, 2007)

Wow that's such a beautiful pigeon,

They sure are lucky to have a friendly person like you feeding and loving them!


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## goulian (May 15, 2007)

Thanks, FuzzyWings. He or she is certainly beautiful. However, I feel a change is about to occur. When it came to breakfast today, I immediately noticed that something was different about it. After a careful examination, I could not put my finger on what it was. This bird seems to be starting it's first moult after leaving the nest. Perhaps a change of color is beginning. I don't mean a total color change, but there is still a difference and if it is color, it should make itself apparent with time. 

Have any of you more experienced pigeon folks even heard of a pigeon changing color upon it's first moult? I suppose it could happen. Nothing in nature is written in stone, I suppose.

Take care, all.


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