# Are Pigeons "Racist" when choosing a mate? LOL



## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Everyone,

I am fortunate enough to have a feral flock of about sixty pigeons who visit me every day for a good meal, clean water and to socialize.

One thing I have noticed is that the "established" couples that I can recognize day after day seem to look alike.

My favorite white "Peanut" pigeon has an all white wife...there is also a beautiful clay colored couple (with pink and green), also some white and black speckled couples. Plus, the pretty gray ones. I would say there are at least 15 devoted couples I can recognize each day and each couple looks alike! 

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon and is there a reason for it? I find it amusing and a little unusual, since as far as I can tell, a pigeon probably doesn't know what it looks like itself, but it seems that they choose mates similar to themselves.

Just wondering......

Linda


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## Geranyl (May 13, 2004)

Well, my feral flock tends to pick different mates. I have seen a spotted female already go through a wild type grey with blue bars, then onto another wild type, then to an all black pigeon. Another spotted pigeon (male) recently found a black with white splotches girlfriend. Strangely enough, the only red male in the flock can't seem to find a mate...so maybe they are pigeonist?


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Never thought about it, but now that you mention it, I think you have a point.
My ferals Ricky and Nicky look exactly the same, sometimes I call them twins.
Andrew and Whitney are both checkers. Frankie and Jerry only look a bit different but they do have the same coloring.
I guess my indoor couple did not have much choise they are completly different, but as I said they did not get to pick their mate.
That's funny.
Reti


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## pigeoncare (Apr 8, 2004)

Lin,
Your question is more profound than you realize. Cornell University is conducting an ongoing study as part of "Project Pigeon Watch," in an attempt to identify the reasons why pigeons choose the mates they do. Currently, no one knows why so any observations you make are important and you might want to consider contributing to Cornell's data base.


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## pigeoncare (Apr 8, 2004)

Home page for Project Pigeon Watch: http://birds.cornell.edu/ppw/


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

It is intersting; the only thing I can tell is that mates definitely don't have the same look in a huge percentage of cases and the ones that do look the same are often the result of a fairly narrow range in the given population. 

But for all the generalized similarities we see in these birds, in my loft I see individuals - extremely so, and each couple 
relates totally different, so I infer that there is a fairly complex psychology involved - observations of these differences could go on and on...


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Fred,

Wow, is that wild or what? I checked out the Cornell U link and their study is just what I was commenting about!! Quite a coincidence...

Thank you for the link...it looks really interesting and I do think I will get in touch with them. I enjoy watching "my" flock everyday anyway, and this would be a fun way of participating in a real research project.

Isn't it funny? We have had alot of serious subject matters in the posts lately and I thought my question would be an interesting and fun "light" subject for a change. I never imagined college researchers were wondering the same thing I was.

Thanks again for the link, I really appreciate it.

Linda


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Dano,

That is a good point you make and may explain what I have observed. I am sure "my" flock of fifty or so birds would be considered small, so it would make sense there is a smaller pool of mates to choose from. I am sure there are many more variables that can be observed in the larger flocks.

As I said, my small flock seems to consist of alot of matched pairs and I was just wondering if that was a common occurrence or just a coincidence with my flock.

Always a pleasure to read your interesting posts....

Linda


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Lin,

Being able to observe my domestic pigeons in their living quarters, I have decided that it is the hen who chooses her mate. There is a bit of attraction involved, but the female makes the final decision, on the bases of if she likes the cubby or nest box he has provided for her.

The male can show off and roo-koo around a female, but it is the hen that makes the ultimate decision whether to mate or not. 

Skye, my pet, has two white females trying to prune him, and he ignores them. They are constantly showing up wherever he is. He does already have Sonic, who chases the one white one out of their cubby every time she enters it. Skye also owns a lot of real estate, and has the two biggest nest boxes in the coop! Are female pigeons looking for the richest male, with the best cubbies?

Treesa


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Treesa,

That is so funny....from an evolutionary standpoint, your females are just doing what comes naturally!!!

I think it may be true that in all species, females will usually be attracted to the male who will best be able to provide for her and her children...material possessions aside, I think this is usually the strongest and healthiest, etc.

So, it makes sense in your situation, since Skye is the "Donald Trump" of the loft,the females want to share his palatial digs..lol.

I wonder if it is any different with the ferals though...since they have to scrape for accomodations, I would think the playing field would be more level. Who knows though?
Maybe the males who can find and provide the most secure nesting spots attract the most females.

It's fun and interesting to try and figure out why they do the things they do, isn't it?

Linda


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

"Like is attracted to like" has some bearing on it, I think, but there are other factors as this odd tale will show.

Last year Helen sent me a beautiful and unusual looking cock, called Jose. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pidgie/MEMORIAL%20PAGE/index.htm 

Jose remained aloof from all the hens in my aviary. Some months later Helen wrote to say she had just rescued the perfect wife for Jose...Josefina, a hen with identical colouring. Sure enough, when Josefina joined the aviary she and Jose paired up and produced my only pair of grand chicks. But when the kids were 20 days old, Jose moved Moreta, a beautiful hen that looked nothing at all like him or Josefina, into the nesting box below the one he already had. Josefina shrugged her shoulders and took up with a young and handsome bluebar, appropriately called Star. Both have remained faithful to their new mates.

Cynthia


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Wow Cynthia,

Those are some seriously beautiful birds! You're right, Jose and Josefina look like twins....

I guess "like can attract like" but I guess "opposites attract" can also apply...just like people I guess!

Linda


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

What fascinates me is the way so many feral squeakers look endearing but are a greasy unimpressing greyish colour and then molt to become incredibly beautiful adults. Star was one of those, his adult plumage is superb.

Cynthia


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## dano7 (Feb 10, 2004)

I think good nutrition will show up with the molt in terms of feather quality.

My birds seem to work along Treesa's observations. The hens make the call - even though the males do all the trash talking, even though the males do all the herding and biting to control the hen when competitors are near, and even though the male has a vote (they may reject the hen). 

And the nest box is critical for the hen. I have a pair - Yogi mates sometimes with the extra hen Zsa Zsa outside of the nest and Yogi's wife could care less. But if Zsa Zsa tries to go in Yogi's nest box, both Yogi and his mate chase her out - Zsa Zsa never gives up on that nest box. Also the hens will spend a lot of time just hanging out in a cushy nest box but males will sometimes take an outside perch.


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## ernie (May 3, 2003)

I had never thought about it, but that's what's going on in my loft too.
The white with a little black, males I have all picked white with black mates. The male and female, pure white ones, I have, picked each other. Bobbie the recucued blue grizzle female, picke Frank the rescued blue grizzel male. The only 'racially mixed' couple I have is T****head (pure white) and Cleo (blue bar feral), but that's because at that point I ran out of females and she was the only one left for him.
Mikko (white/red fantail) and Peeperle (white with red satinette) even picked each other, even though they are both males. They picked a nestbox and set up house. Goes to show, that even our 'gay' pigeons are prejusticed.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

I find just the oposite in my loft. Nest mates tend to pick each other after they are older and ready to start mating, unless there are two hens or two cocks in a nest, then they don't pair up. I had one pair in a nest, but one of the babies was an abandoned youngster from another nest. The hen is a red check splash and the cock is a dark check, almost black. Because they were raised together, they have chosen each other as mates. My birds don't care about race, creed or religion...LOL. They just want to "fall in love".


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

I did read in some book on pigeons that a bird will frequently be attracted to a mate with the same coloring as one of its parents. How true that is, I don't know.

Cynthia and I note that in one of our flocks, there is a preponderance of reds - checkers, spreads, whatever - and very pale birds with red bars.

In a flock which live under a bridge over the city's major river, almost every pigeon I saw was a blue bar.

Seems to me that pretty often there are communities of pigeons who keep to their own patch and rarely mix with other communities, and keep much the same pattern aside from the odd 'sport' here and there?

John


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## Falcon-Rider (May 27, 2004)

Hmmm I never thought about it.... out of my 11 adult birds (i had more but recently gave 7 away due to lack of space... I already have 6 babies hatched and two more eggs -_-).... I have 5 couples.... a speckled gray/white and a white with brown spots(which produce all/nearly all white babies), a white homer which sadly mated with a gray(thus produces grays -_-,), a dark gray pair... one with a "cowlick" and another with feathered feet, and a white with a gray tail and a light gray, my remaining bird is an almost pure white male. I have to gray young ones still in the nest now too.

My pigeons are quite integrated methinks.... I keep them for pets and don't mind the cross breads (I have homers and rollers).


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