# Baby pigeon all grown up, looking to improve it's quality of life



## wafs (Jan 29, 2011)

Hi there. About 3 months ago I found 2 baby pigeons that fell from their nest (there were strong winds the night earlier, and even the nest flew into our garden). One of the pigeons survived, one didn't. I spent hours lurking on this site for the good information on how to raise the babies, and now it's all grown up (on the right). 











I have a few questions though! 

1) What breed and gender is this pigeon (or dove?). I live in Sydney , Australia and I've seen a few wild ones flying around but I don't know the name of this breed, any time I google search for pigeons/doves in Sydney I just get a whole listing of racing pigeon breeders.

2) The bird seems lonely since we moved him to his bigger cage. As a baby we kept him in a smaller warm box, but obviously that wasn't going to work as an adult, so we bought him a nice cage and put it outdoors in a weather protected area, but I can't help but feel (s)he's very lonely. Even when I go outside to sit with it , it just seems distant.
I'm guessing it's a big "NOOOOooo" but can I share his cage with another bird of another species to keep him company? I don't think I'll be coming across another captive version of this bird any time soon and I want him to have some company in his cage. 

3) Am I doing the wrong thing by keeping it? I don't want to release it because there are about 15-20 cats in our neighbourhood and I'm afraid that he's too domesticated to run from danger. Last thing I'd want is to see my cats with this little guy in their mouth. 

Thanks for your time!


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I'm not familiar with Australian species, but it looks like some kind of dove, perhaps a Brown Cuckoo-Dove? Check out this link: 
http://www.ozanimals.com/wildlife/Bird/Pigeons,Doves.html 

I don't think you can safely release this bird because it doesn't know how to find food and is dependent on humans. Your best bet would be to find a sanctuary where you could take it. But if you do so, be sure to ask lots of questions first and make sure the bird won't be euthanized if it doesn't fit in.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Just wanted to add: if you use the search box in the link I gave you and ask for "sanctuaries," it gives a list of them for various parts of Australia.

Oh, and you can't determine gender just by a photo, except in species where the male and female look different. Since I'm not sure what species this is, I don't know if it's sexually dimorphic. 

I don't know what the laws are in Australia about keeping wildlife. Here in the U.S., a special permit is required.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hmmmm .. I'm not seeing a picture anywhere ??

Terry

EDIT: Never mind .. it's there now ..


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Well....she/he _is _very pretty...although....

1) I also have no clue as to what kind of Dove she is.

2) It's not a bad thought to have a companion share the same enclosure. Would say this, however: you want to find a captive-bred species as close to this one as possible. So step #1 is to determine what kind of Dove, still.

As to a different species...it depends, of course. People have aviaries with all sorts of different birds inside....but the responsible ones have done research on which species coexist well with others, and which do not. 

I used to subscribe to Bird Talk magazine, and there was an aviary guy there with a column who knew all of that stuff.....Dick Schroeder (spelling might be off). Perhaps do a websearch for him and see if you can find a contact e-mail (?)

3) Is she/he at-ease with you...or does she seem phobic of humans ? if comfortable around humans, then she/he is probably human-bonded/imprinted and would NOT be releasable. If she tries to evade you and is very cautious or flighty when you are near...then she may be a candidate for re-release but you could never just open the cage one day and say "good luck !". Because baby columbids (like all birds) learn how to make it in the world by following and being taught by their parents (i.e. there is no such thing as an "instinct" which will just "kick in" to a sufficient degree to give a human-raised Feral/Wild bird any chance of survival). Sans some sort of acclimation process, a human-raised baby is unreleasable.

Nice save, BTW. Thanks for caring.


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

Its a beautiful bird, 
not sure, its posture & stance & tail looks like it could be a Brown Cuckoo Dove.









although its beak and lighter head colouring looks more like that of an Emerald Dove








Also, the male emerald Dove does have a white patch on its shoulders


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## wafs (Jan 29, 2011)

thankyou very much everyone for your info, it helped. At this point after reading through the weblinks and reccomended searches, I think it would be in my bird's best interests to keep it captive as a pet. 


I feel also it's family tree may have been cross bred down the line, as it looks like a mix of the Brown Cuckoo dove, but it also resembles this Spotted dove a lot ! 










I guess time to search craigslist for suitable cage-pals for my pigeon


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

You might wanna have it sexed. I dunno about AU, but here you can pluck feather and send it to a lab for DNA sexing. Not very expensive....

Hey, congrats on your new pal ! For sure she/he has found a loving home.

Name ????


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

I reckon it is most likely a spotted turtle dove - the young ones develop the spots around their necks as they mature. These birds are an introduced species and will not be looked upon kindly (PTs) if given into one. They are vast in number throughout northern and south eastern Australia.

Best thing you can do is give the little one a home, if you want to get him a friend inquiry at avian vets and sanctuaries and ask if they are able to give u one that would otherwise be PTs as a pet only (non releaseable ) bird . They are legally obligated to destroy any turtle doves that are handed in, but perhaps may bE sympathetic and assist you in finding a cO
Pinion 4 your little one - and then again they may not! Whatever you do do not give YOUR bird to any vet - if it requires treatment you must ensure the vet is happy to treat it as a pet with the provisio it is returned to your care


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

Wow...unbelievable......


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Have just remember that there is a store called bird city which although it specializes in exotic and native Australian birds also happened to have a couple of turtle dOves, and laughing doves. Whilst they are located in mElbourne perhaps they may ship? Worth a try at least - I have found the staff there to be most helpful, knowledgeable, and keep their birds in wonderful conditions. Just google bird city Melbourne for contact details - if they can't help they could put you in contact with a breeder/ supplier


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