# Three different types of cooing



## york (Jun 26, 2002)

Perhaps a silly question but I have noticed that pigeons generally coo in three different ways.

Most of the time... cooo
Territorial... ah rrrrou coou
and then there is, well, what sounds to me like a cow moooing in the fields. The males seem to do that. It starts low pitch and ends higher. ahwooooo ehon?

Any idea what he is doing?


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Yup, You mean moaning?
My Little Tooty(who passed away last friday







) Used to love to moan..He would sit on my bed moaning for hours and when I put my hand near him he starts noding and twitching his wing then preening my hand.
If you mean the wild ferals that will come to your balcony, either I have then snuggle or sit flat on the floor moaning...Sometimes they just fly in and sit on the rail and start to moan for awhile especially when there is no other pigeon around..They do it for afew seconds and when another pigeon pops in they go after him or her just with the normal cooo..I love watching them do it!

Anyway..I hope that's what you mean!









Mary



[This message has been edited by maryco (edited October 21, 2002).]


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## WhiteWingsCa (Mar 1, 2002)

if you mean the cooing/moaning that Mary describes, that is a mating call of sorts.

At least, that's how I've always interpreted it....usually hear it when the pair is in the nest box, cuddling together, when the hen is about to lay (even for several days before she actually does). Weirdly enough, it is usually the male that is laying down, moaning, while the female stands beside the male. Sometimes, the male will even tuck his head under the hen....









We even have a couple of birds that "growl" when you come near their nest boxes...it's really funny!


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## maryco (Apr 1, 2002)

Oh yes Janine, 

That is SO sweet!
Tooty would sit down flat and moan then I would make my hand approach and he would close his eyes so then I would come closer and he would put him head under my hand while I preened his head..I would do just like the female pigeon I saw and he thought I was a PIJJIE!








The house is so very quite now with no moaning









Mary


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## york (Jun 26, 2002)

Thanks mary. Yes, it does sound allot like a moan. Mr.Darcy does not do it very often and just for a few seconds but always gets our attention. 

growl!? - lol 
I would love to hear that!

I too love just sitting and watching the pigeons. I love everything about them!!

Oh Mary... The lost of Tooty was much talked about in our home... we felt very sad for I think Mary and I have read all of your posts. We wanted to learn more about pigeons and how to be good care takers... but ended up being taken by your stories of Tooty.
Believe us to be, so sorry of your loss Maryco.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

I've noticed a few sounds from pigeons - the ferals who lived on my balcony a few years back, and those who have visited since..

The normal, clear coo-coo-roo-coo

The throaty variation of it, often given when male pursues female or when male is confronting another male aggressively

The moaning sound, generally calling the mate or uttered on the nest (sometimes by both birds)but a similar sound used to call young birds to feed

A more varied moaning, like pleasure or surprise, which two birds may utter when egg-sitting 

The alarm sound - a short ooh-uh - when surprised by a human popping up, or the sight of potential danger (cat, hawk, whatever)

A very quiet 'muttering' sound which my bird uttered a couple of times when apparently irritated or puzzled (like with something not being in a familiar place, or some familiar item being changed for another, which you have to be very close to hear.

As an aside - my male used to make the alarm sound when there was nothing around, seemingly to train his unfledged young to scurry for cover on hearing it.

John


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## WhiteysFriends (Aug 19, 2002)

I describe the "normal" coo as "Bumba-doodle" or sometimes "Buffalo-doodle." \


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