# sexing wood pigeon, advice please.



## Nicola3

Hi,

As some of you may know I have a wood pigeon who is unable to fly. I've had him for well over a year. I took him to a different Vet yesterday to check whether there was anything that could be done for him. Apparently his broken wing has healed but it may have incurreed some nerve damage hence he is unable to fly. He lives in a converted shed in my back garden.

I asked if the Vet could tell me whether the pigeon was male or female but she said there was no easy way of knowing. Apart from sticking a microscope up inside of the poor bird and seeing if he/she has ovaries or taking a blood test. Both of which I thought would be extremely distressing for the little thing so I declined.

Is there any other way of knowing whether a wood pigeon is male/female? I know you can send a feather off to be DNA tested. But is there any other way of knowing. My pigeon coos at night. Is it only male pigeons that coo or does it apply to bothe sexes?

One positive thing that the Vet said was that the wood pigeon was the healthiest pigeon she has ever seen and he/she is certainly not in any pain, which is a blessing.

Any advice on sexing wood pigeons gratefully appreciated.

L of L,

Nicola x


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## Feefo

Hi Nicola,

I have watched male and female woodies courting and even though in that situation I could tell which was male and which was female I could see nothing that distinguished one from the other in their appearance.

I suspect that my Edward Woodward (now just plain Woodwood) is a hen, my male pigeons court her. She doesn't coo at night. I am not certain what Littlewood is, but he/she doesn't coo either. So I think yours is probably male.

You could try the mirror trick, see how he reacts to an image of another Woodie. Or you could introduce him to another woodie that you suspect is a hen and see how they react to each other.

By the way, did you know that St Tiggywinkles advise that *all *unreleasable woodpigeons should be euthanased? They are the only bird that in their opinion can't adapt to captivity. This is probably why so little is known about their private lives. Yours sounds as if he has adapted well. It would be great if he could have a mate.

Cynthia


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## Feefo

HI Nicola,

I have been through hell, because the answer was on a hunting forum and I had to read part of their posts. Not an experience I would recommend. 

It is the male only that makes the distinctive call (the one that sounds like "It's two coos taffy"). Is that the coo that you hear at night?

Cynthia


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## Nicola3

Hi Cynthia,

Thank you for all your help.

I don't understand why certain organisations say that all unreleasable birds should be euthanised. I think it depends very much on the individual circumstances. Anway, how do they know whether the bird is or isn't going to recover if they don't give them a chance?

As long as the bird is happy in its self, healthy and not suffering I don't know why they shouldn't be given the same chance as any other pet/animal. Obvioulsy if the bird is distressed or in pain, then that is another matter.

The Vet yesterday told me that my pigeon was the healthiest she'd ever seen and was not in any pain or discomfort. She also said that she could tell he/she was quite content. I know many veterinary organisations don't have the time of day for wildlife but I have managed to find a couple of Vets that are very sympathetic with regards to wildlife. Obviously I have to pay for any treatment that is given. All my wages go on my animals anyway.

The young rabbit I found injured in the road has made a full recovery but he has lost the sight in one eye. He now has a huge run in my back garden and is living with another rescued wild bun. The first Vet I contacted about him wanted to put him to sleep and said he had Myxymatosis. He in fact did not have Myxy and has now been vaccinated against it.

Sorry..... i'm wandering again! 

Back to the wood pigeon. In the evening he makes a 'coo coo' sound, a double 'coo' in other words. Does that mean that my pigeon is a male? I'm sorry you had to read thru some info on a hunting forum...sounds awful.

I would like to know what sex the wood pigeon is as I would like to get some company for him and ideally it would be a pigeon of the opposite sex.

Thanks again for all your help.

L of L,

Nicola x


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## Feefo

Hi Nicola,

I absolutely agree with you about the euthanasia, that is why I am always pleased to hear of a woodpigeon that has been given a chance proves to be adaptable. I have one very wild one at the moment, he will be released soo. He has three pigeons with him and they have really calmed him down. He always perches as close on the perch to them as he can, which is why I think yours would benefit from the dove's company if you can't find him a female woodpigeon. BUT, with so many woodpigeons being rescued I think you are bound to come across a hen that needs a home.

I think the double coo is part of the call . It really goes *coooooocooooo* coo coo c (the bold being the louder part of the call, the final bit being almost inaudible.)

I am also glad you proved the vet wrong about the rabbit and were able to offer him a happy life. Until recently vets would treat wildlife free and let individuals continue caring for them, then suddenly that changed and they had to be handed over. ONce I took a pigeon to a vet and he handed it to the receptionist saying "Do what you always do". You should have seen the speed at which I snatched it back! I prefer to pay than to hand them over . There are three vets at my practice and each charges me a different rate, the one that charges the least is also the kindest (won't consider euthanasia for anything while there is quality of life) and knows the most about pigeons so I always try to see him, but I consider myself lucky to have found a practice that will treat them. My former vet would not consider it under any circumstances now (he was the one I snatched the pigeon back from).

What do you feed your Woodie on? Although I provide the same food for all my pigeons Littlewood is very healthy with good plumage but Woodwood had poor feathering and always looks ill. I wonder whether I could provide something to boost Woodwood's health.

Cynthia


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## Nicola3

Hi Cynthia,

I have found it extremely difficult to find a Vet that will treat Wildlife. Now that I have found a very compassionate and kind Vet that used to work primarily with wildlife, I take all my animals to her. She doesn't charge me as much as other Vets and has a real soft spot for Harvey, my wild bun.

The cooing call that you mentioned does sound like the noise that my pigeon makes. All I remember hearing is the double 'coo' as this was probably the most pronounced sound. Does that mean it is very likely that my pigeon is male?

With regards to the food. I simply feed him/her a wild bird food mix which I buy from my local garden centre. My pigeon absolutely adores it and it seems to be doing the trick as he/she looks very healthy. I have fed him/her on mixed corn in the past but he/she wasn't particularly keen on it.

Linseed is very good for putting oil back into their plumage. Have you tried Woodwood on linseed?

Thank you for all your help.

L of L,

Nicola x


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## solly

As you probably know i also have a pet woodpigeon.He is now 4 months old and seems to be very happy.He grunts more often than coos so i think hes a girl if you know what i mean.He hasn,t flown as his feathers went really tatty but now hes moulting and nice flight feathers seem to be coming through so i'm hoping they stay this way.I'd just like to say that he and his "mate"gizmo who is a birmingham roller doesn't seem to like each other much as gizmo is a much more fidgety livelier bird so if i were you i would hold out for another woodpigeon for a friend.


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## Feefo

As you two live so close to each other maybe you could arrange for your wood pigeons to meet on a blind date? At the very least that would tell you how they react to their own species.

Cynthia


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