# Ringneck Dove Language



## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

Has anyone ever heard chickens do that low pitched er er err? Well doves do it too! Is there a name for it? It's like some sort of language and I love it!


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> I'm typing this on my itouch, so it will b a bit sloppy. Has anyone ever heard chickens do that low pitched er er err? Well doves do it too! Is there a name for it? It's like some sort of language and I love it!


What body language are they doing with it? This changes the meaning of things.

Also, I haven't been around chickens in many years--which sound do you mean?


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Here's a site with examples of dove sounds and body language and some meanings too:
http://pet-doves.com/petdoves/language.htm


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

There is no body language involved. The beak doesn't even open. If you've seen hens do it, it should be easy to picture.

My 2 ringnecks do this _all _ the time. I don't know how no one has ever heard it before. They do it all throughout the night as well. I'm going to have to get a video of it. Well, there is nothing to see, just hear.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> There is no body language involved. It's exactly how I described it as. The beak doesn't even open.
> 
> My 2 ringnecks do this _all _ the time. I don't know how no one has ever heard it before. They do it all throughout the night as well. I'm going to have to get a video of it. Well, there is nothing to see, just hear.


Everything is body language. Basically what you're saying is that they're doing this from a relaxed pose? 

It's not that I've never heard the sound before--my ringnecks live right in my bedroom so I'm sure that I probably have--I'm just not sure which sound you're talking about since I haven't been around chickens in a really long time.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

Libis, believe it or not, YES, not everything is body language. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHFGIL7eSLU 0:50 You can hear it. The dove I am filming is not doing it often. The one in the nest is. I just put Larry on the screen so I'm filming something.

After :50, you can hear it constantly. Towards the end of the video you can't really hear it because my brand new $500 camera is a loud P.O.S. Start the video at :50, and it ends around 1:40.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLVXWyMRLes The first 3 seconds. My ringnecks do the same thing.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> Libis, believe it or not, YES, not everything is body language.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHFGIL7eSLU 0:50 You can hear it. The dove I am filming is not doing it often. The one in the nest is. I just put Larry on the screen so I'm filming something.
> 
> ...


Sorry, but I can't hear it. Maybe my laptop speakers suck.

Sometimes my birds make a quiet warning noise like chickens, especially while nesting. Kind of a "what is that?" "will it get the eggs/babies?" or just generally questioning sound. 

Any pose an animal goes into naturally says something about how they feel at that moment. This is body language. Your perching dove was saying "I'm curious about this new object and what exactly you are doing" in the way he or she held themselves. This bird also looked generally happy/cheerful because of the way the eye was expressing. Eventually his eyes tightened and he breathed more because he was getting a little more concerned about the camera being near the nest. He also brought his body forward in what may have been a slight preparation for flight or fight (not much, but enough to show slight concern over the camera.) He seemed to slightly relax again towards the end of the film and settle into the perch a bit. His eyes also changed back to a happier expression.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

Sorry, but me being in the room had nothing to do with their little language. They do it all night and day. Constantly. Whether or not some "curious new object" is near them. Actually, when they are scared they don't make that noise. Well I guess I know something about ringneck doves that you don't.

I'll upload another video of it from another camera. You can clearly hear it in both videos though.

And I have no idea what you are talking about. The dove I was filming was not making the noise if you actually read my last post. The dove in the nest was the one making the noise.

Also, these are silky doves, they don't fly.


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o1x-y7pq7A

The dove in front is the one making the noise.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> Has anyone ever heard chickens do that low pitched er er err? Well doves do it too! Is there a name for it? It's like some sort of language and I love it!


I have bantam chickens and the rooster will make that noise when he sees something in the sky he does not like and all his hens going hiding..lol.. he does it when he sees a hawk or even a hot air ballon one time..that really got him out of sorts.. my doves used to grunt a bit and laugh and coo.. not sure what it all means but we can just guess..because they are not telling us...lol..


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## Guest (Feb 1, 2012)

I wish I knew the name of this talking these doves use, but I honestly just think its a way to stay in contact with eachother.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> Sorry, but me being in the room had nothing to do with their little language. They do it all night and day. Constantly. Whether or not some "curious new object" is near them. Actually, when they are scared they don't make that noise. Well I guess I know something about ringneck doves that you don't.
> 
> I'll upload another video of it from another camera. You can clearly hear it in both videos though.
> 
> ...


I'm talking about body language. I couldn't hear the noise at all. I was just commenting on the supposed lack of body language.

Take it or leave it.

As far as a similar noise to chickens, my doves do that when worrying over their nest mostly. If I'm even thinking of the same chicken sounds.

There is another small noise they make (the diamonds do it more often) that helps find each other in the dark and also seems to be a "gossip" sound. Maybe this is what you're talking about?


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2012)

I don't care about body language. I'm talking about actual language. Hence why I have no idea why you are explaining to me their body language when this thread has nothing to do with it. Those noises they make have nothing to do with the way they move.

And it has little to do with the nest. They do it CONSTANTLY throughout the night while sitting on their perch right next to eachother. With no eggs in the nest. It's just a language they do to, well, communicate? Stay close?

That's what I was asking. Apparently no one has ever heard of this 'dove language' before.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> I don't care about body language. I'm talking about actual language. Those noises they make have nothing to do with the way they move.
> 
> And it has little to do with the nest. They do it CONSTANTLY throughout the night while sitting on their perch right next to eachother. With no eggs in the nest.


Then it's probably the gossiping and finding each other at night sound that I mentioned already. Either way I couldn't hear it on my laptop and I disagreed with you about body language being constantly used--which I why I even said anything about body language (besides the fact that body language helps clarify the reasons behind noises.)


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2012)

Well then you need to find better speakers before you assume what you are are talking about.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> Well then you need to find better speakers before you assume what you are are talking about.


If you wanna buy them I'm all for that. Right now, working two jobs and going to school full time--that's not very realistic.

I'm just telling you what my doves do in similar circumstances (at night and all day) to what you are describing. I don't see why that is making you so snarky/upset. (Does it really bother you that much that I disagree about the importance of body language? Seriously? I'm just attempting to share what I know.)


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

I just listened to the recording. BTW...I have great speakers and I had to turn them up loud in order to hear it. Anyway...you have a talker there. I have some Ringnecks that make different sounds from the others too...they are always talking. Yours is making a *"I'm very content"* sound. I had one dove that would do this same sound and then when he got nervous he kinda turned it into a loud scream...it was very comical. 

Dawn


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Doves1111 said:


> I just listened to the recording. BTW...I have great speakers and I had to turn them up loud in order to hear it. Anyway...you have a talker there. I have some Ringnecks that make different sounds from the others too...they are always talking. Yours is making a *"I'm very content"* sound. I had one dove that would do this same sound and then when he got nervous he kinda turned it into a loud scream...it was very comical.
> 
> Dawn


Thanks for the info Dawn. It seems like my diamonds are noisier in this way than my ringnecks. It does get louder and more grating if they are worried and softer and nicer when they are happy, so it must be a related sound.


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

My Diamonds are very talkative too. It's amazing and cool how many different sound Ringnecks and Diamond doves can make. When I'm out in the loft I can always tell someone is coming by their warning call...especially if the person is wearing red! 

Dawn


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

RingneckDoveFan said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o1x-y7pq7A
> 
> The dove in front is the one making the noise.


Finally was able to get this vid to work.

It is the same kind of noise that I was talking about my diamonds primarily making (but the ringneck do it every once in a while.) With different body language, this sound takes on different meanings--but as they are, feeling neutral and content, it's a happy gossipy noise that they make when content like Doves1111 said. If they ever crouch more and tighten up and make it louder, it will be more of a concerned/worried noise and more likely to be about scary sounds in the dark or someone close to their nest. And whether they can fly or not, they will still prepare for fight or flight if frightened. Even extreme silkies who lose all of their feathers will try to fly. 

(Not to mention "fight or flight" doesn't necessarily mean literal flight. Humans and other mammals have the same type of response. It just means preparing to either escape or fight.)


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Doves1111 said:


> My Diamonds are very talkative too. It's amazing and cool how many different sound Ringnecks and Diamond doves can make. When I'm out in the loft I can always tell someone is coming by their warning call...especially if the person is wearing red!
> 
> Dawn


I love when you walk in the room and one diamond looks to the other and goes "grroooook" and then the other gives you a stink eye and says it back and they come off like little old ladies critiquing your clothes!  (This is also a similar noise to the one discussed in this thread, but with more interest in going "hey, look at that, the human showed up," than going "i'm content" or "where are you...") 

I also love when I can get anybody cooing back and forth with me. Do you ever do that?

Do you ever sing to your doves? Mine like Frank Sinatra and the quieter stuff from Lord of the Rings.


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Doves1111 said:


> My Diamonds are very talkative too. It's amazing and cool how many different sound Ringnecks and Diamond doves can make. When I'm out in the loft I can always tell someone is coming by their warning call...especially if the person is wearing red!
> 
> Dawn


Are your ringnecks scared of red? I've never had problems with them fearing it, but I've had them around many colors forever, and the babies were born near red things so they never paid any mind. Edmund even has a toy that is red that he plays with sometimes.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Here are some more if you are into listening to them.

http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/RNColorPics/ringneckcalls.htm


because we as humans are guessing on what their sounds mean to each other we do look at body language which helps to sort it out. and is a pretty commonsense thing to do and think about when listening too.


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## Guest (Feb 2, 2012)

Thank you for the info, Dawn!


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

Libis said:


> I also love when I can get anybody cooing back and forth with me. Do you ever do that?


Yes...I used to have a pet Diamond in the house named Choo Choo. I would coo "Choooo Chooo" to him and he would always answer right back.



> Do you ever sing to your doves? Mine like Frank Sinatra and the quieter stuff from Lord of the Rings.


Oh ya...always singing or whistling. Speaking of Lord of the Rings...which me and my husband have been big fans for years...I have a Lutino cockatiel named Bilbo Baggins...he's almost 30 years old. I also have Samwise...a Pied cockatiel. These guy could whistle The Mexican Hat Dance and Casper The Friendly Ghost. I used to have a pet Blue Jay in the 70's named Frodo. He would call my son Jacob...and imitate and sound just like the phone and alarm clock. I had Frodo for 12 years. He loved Meow Mix. 

Dawn


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## Doves1111 (Mar 5, 2005)

Libis said:


> Are your ringnecks scared of red? I've never had problems with them fearing it, but I've had them around many colors forever, and the babies were born near red things so they never paid any mind. Edmund even has a toy that is red that he plays with sometimes.


When I had them in the house...they weren't as bad. Outside they are afraid of red, orange, pink, yellow, and lime green. If I change jackets or if I don't wear one...they are very skeptical for the first few minutes to whether it's me or not.

Dawn


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Doves1111 said:


> Yes...I used to have a pet Diamond in the house named Choo Choo. I would coo "Choooo Chooo" to him and he would always answer right back.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Aww, I used to have a cockatiel named Mr. Suzy (they named him before they realized he was a boy, and by then he knew his name.) They sure love to whistle-sing.  Mine really really loved to cat-call.

I didn't know Jays could talk. That's really cool!


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