# our new bird



## natasha81harris (Aug 24, 2011)

our new pigeon storm


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

How cute!


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## natasha81harris (Aug 24, 2011)

hi becky ive been emailing quazar about this little bird as im hoping to try find out what type of pigeon he is and quazar forwarded me to you saying your brill with birds and may know.... any ideas?


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## mpigeon (Aug 25, 2011)

It looks very exotic!


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## kalel (Oct 14, 2008)

its a juvenile woodpigeon. where did you find him?


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## pidgey boy (Dec 23, 2010)

very nice and as kalel said its a woodpigeon


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## natasha81harris (Aug 24, 2011)

*our new pigeon*



kalel said:


> its a juvenile woodpigeon. where did you find him?


we adopted him from another user on here, she found him in her garden... he is very nervous and we are not able to handle him just yet... but hes nearly mastered flying so thats good....


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Yep, it's a Wood Pigeon!  I would love to have some myself but they aren't found in the wild here like they are in the UK.


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## pidgey boy (Dec 23, 2010)

yeah i never see wood pigeons around here but we have crested pigeons and turtle doves that always hang around my yard


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## Kat91 (Aug 22, 2011)

Aww, look at him! as others said, he's a wood pigeon, we have loads around here. Told you he was nervous bless him, but he did something this morning that he'd never done, I was sitting on the floor doing my make up and he slowly and carefully walked all the way over to me and just sat near me lol so just be gentle and patient and he'll come round. Glad you like him.


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## mpigeon (Aug 25, 2011)

We got lots of Woodpigeons, young and old, but I've never seen a young one like that! I never realised they were so strange. Cute.


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## natasha81harris (Aug 24, 2011)

hi kat yeh we do like him hes beautiful.... hes not a happy lil man tho, this morning i went in to feed him and he ruffled his chest up and did a sort of hiss at me... but once i closed the door he tucked into his food.... hes just to cute and i know its going to take him some time, he will get there eventually.


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## mpigeon (Aug 25, 2011)

natasha81harris said:


> hes just to cute and i know its going to take him some time, he will get there eventually.


Yes I agree. 


He's so cute.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

natasha81harris said:


> hi kat yeh we do like him hes beautiful.... hes not a happy lil man tho, this morning i went in to feed him and he ruffled his chest up and did a sort of hiss at me... but once i closed the door he tucked into his food.... hes just to cute and i know its going to take him some time, he will get there eventually.


So my first hunch was right lol. Just the colouring & eyes put me off.
It will probably take a lot more time & effort with this little guy as woodies are not quite as adaptable to captivity as their feral relatives.
Woodpigeons are a lot more wary of humans (even when young) and take fright at the smallest of things or movements. They are slower than ferals in both movement & reactions, but their alertness to danger kicks in well before a ferals would, and once spooked, are wary about any similar approach.
Also, unlike ferals who nest in "cave" type areas and prefer a "flat" perch, woodies are quite happy with branches for perches as they normally nest in the trees.
They are also seed/grain eaters, but will also eat more greens than the common feral, and occasionally even nibble some wild fruits.

John D, Cynthia (feefo) & Janet (amyable) are prob the best to give you more info on Woodies as they have probably handled the most.


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## Kat91 (Aug 22, 2011)

natasha81harris said:


> hi kat yeh we do like him hes beautiful.... hes not a happy lil man tho, this morning i went in to feed him and he ruffled his chest up and did a sort of hiss at me... but once i closed the door he tucked into his food.... hes just to cute and i know its going to take him some time, he will get there eventually.


Yeah he does that! just sit in the same room as him but dont go near him, go about your business as usual, taking care not to make big, sudden movements to spook him and he'll eventually realise you're no harm and are the food provider  

Best of luck with him, I'm sure he'll make a great pet once he's settled and his nerves lessen


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

Bob's post about them is a good summary of woodies, from my experience.

We (Cynthia and I) haven't kept woodies as indoor pets, but we have had a couple of pretty human-friendly ones among those in our rescues aviary. One was little more than a baby when found, the other was just about flying. Both came to us from other rescuers, and both hens.

They would land on our heads or shoulders quite happily, and I often had one on each shoulder. They didn't seem to object to having their heads and necks 'preened' and were very curious about what might be found in or on human ears, in shirt sleeves and pockets and amongst hair. I drew the line at a woodie trying to stick her beak up my nose, though  What they definitely did not like, as grown birds, was to be picked up or have a hand held around them.

Hoever friendly they may be, I doubt that either would have settled well if kept indoors. They do like to be in something approaching a natural environment, we've found, so we had branches as well as the flat perches other pigeons prefer, tubs of conifers and foliage where the hedge grew through the mesh into one side of the aviary. They also like to be around other woodpigeons, even though they are not as 'communal' as other pigeons.

Most other woodies we've had have been quite nervous and high-strung (particularly the disabled, non-flying ones) but settle down fairly soon, probably due to the far calmer, laid-back disposition of our ferals and homers.

The woodies will eat much of the normal pigeon mix, but seem to prefer the corn, grain and small seeds such as they'd find in the wild (but we get from the corn stores). They adapt well to small (raw) peanuts, i.e., not the hulking great things that go in mesh feeders for wild birds. They enjoy crispy lettuce and, as Bob says, eat more greens than the ferals. We would provide them with a dish of well chopped leaves of rocket, spinach, watercress and chard. We tried ours on various berries and rose hips, but they seemed not to recognize them if they weren't growing wild on a bush.

Personally, I would not keep a woodpigeon indoors any longer than necessary to ensure it was able to feed itself. I think it is too far removed from even a semblance of a natural environment for them to thrive. A healthy woodie is best taken to a pigeon-friendly wildlife rescue where they will get woodies ready for release as a group. If unreleasable, I would keep them in an aviary outside, with others, if possible. Otherwise, I'd find a home for them with other unreleasable woodies. 

But, having said that, there may well be UK members here who have had one successfully grow up and adapt to the human environment. If so, I hope they will share their experience.


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## natasha81harris (Aug 24, 2011)

thanks for the advice john and bob.... i am in the process of building an outside enclosure to put him in which will be finished tomorrow, so he wont be kept indoors after tomorrow... also myself and my partner had been thinking we might take him somewhere to be with other birds as hes so frightened and we'd rather not put him thru the stress.. he would be much happier we think.....


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## amyable (Jul 7, 2007)

I think that's a nice thought as they do settle better when mixed with their own kind.
Woodies are definitely a totally different temperament to ferals although when hand reared from babies they can still become incredibly tame.
I've hand raised a few but as soon as they are able to pick seeds for themsleves have taken them to a rescue centre to be mixed with others for release.
One I did have brought to me had been hand reared by someone else but was in poor condition due to being reared on unsuitable food. It did stay very tame and I was very lucky to find a lady who had reared a Woodie herself and then built an outdoor aviary for him. She took this woodie on as a companion and has since introduced yet another one to her aviary I believe. They live a very spoilt life but as least they have others to interact with.

It might be better to consider a feral pigeon or even an ex racing pigeon that has been rejected by it's owner if you still would like to offer a pigeon a home with you.
I'm sure we can help you find the right companion given time as there are always unfortunate unreleasable birds that have been injured or such like and would really benefit from being given a safe place to live out their lives.

Let us know what you decide to do in the end as far as this lovely Woodie goes first as obviously you have already taken it in.

Good luck

Janet


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