# Is this a feral pigeon? She's ash red and so tame!



## Marea (Jul 26, 2015)

Hey guys,

A week ago I found this lovely pigeon in my yard. She just let me come over and pick her up, but it took her a couple days to get her used to being hand-fed (she wasn't used to solid food yet). Now she's super tame and content to just sit around the house and yard, and doesn't show any inclination to fly off. Seriously, she'll poke around the yard, but won't go farther than 15 feet from me. 

Is she a feral pigeon? I'm wondering about this because:

1) She seemed unafraid of humans from the get-go.

2) I've never seen a pigeon within two miles of my house and she definitely wasn't capable of flying that far when I found her (she seems to have been around 20-26 days old).

3) I've never seen a wild pigeon around here with her coloration. I've since learned from this forum that she's "ash red." Very symmetrical markings, with light grey and white on her rump and tail. So striking and unusual! To me at least 

What do you think? Maybe a young homer that got lost? Or have you seen ferals with her markings?


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## pigeon-lover0 (Apr 1, 2012)

I have seen a select few feral like this near me. But as you state she seems tame? Does she have any bands? Will have to wait for some more experienced members to help you. It is a beautiful bird.


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## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

*Young pigeon*

I believe it is a feral. It doesn't have the typical homer head shape. It is unusual to see a feral that is tame, but it may have been very hungry and thirsty. It is definitely fairly young. You can tell because the feathers around the bill haven't come out yet.

Ash red is not that uncommon among feral flocks.

It looks like it is in good hands, but you better be careful. My obsession with pigeons started forty plus years ago with ferals, and so did a lot of others that I know.


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Really a beautiful baby . loved the color


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Lovely bird! Hope you will adopt her.


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## Marea (Jul 26, 2015)

I'd love to keep her! Though I'm not sure how to keep a pigeon in the city. The few I raised before I did so as a kid in the country, where we had acreage for them to fly around in. I'd feel bad about keeping her in a cage all the time, but would worry about her flying around the neighborhood where i couldn't immediately get to her. I've also seen some small hawks around here, and there are many cats. 

I'll be poring over this site in the coming weeks to figure out the best way to do this. I do have a small pen where I keep my chickens when I'm gone for any length of time. But she wouldn't really get to fly (not that she seems all that interested in doing that right now).

Chuck K - I am worried about this! I've wanted a loft of pigeons since i was a kid... but I already have quite the zoo (2 dogs, a cat, and 4+ chickens). I really should move back to the country again :/ Regardless, if I do keep her - and it looks like I will - it's likely I'll get her a mate or friend. I'm already eyeing some pigeons on petfinder! Do opposite sex pairs work best, or doesn't that matter? It would be cool to hatch some babies, but I'm concerned that will take me down the road of many pigeons...

pigeon-lover0 - nope, no bands. Sounds like she's just a super chill feral!


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Marea said:


> I'd love to keep her! Though I'm not sure how to keep a pigeon in the city. The few I raised before I did so as a kid in the country, where we had acreage for them to fly around in. I'd feel bad about keeping her in a cage all the time, but would worry about her flying around the neighborhood where i couldn't immediately get to her. I've also seen some small hawks around here, and there are many cats.
> 
> I'll be poring over this site in the coming weeks to figure out the best way to do this. I do have a small pen where I keep my chickens when I'm gone for any length of time. But she wouldn't really get to fly (not that she seems all that interested in doing that right now).
> 
> ...



Young bird outside unafraid is a sitting duck for predators. Grab her up inside before she comes to harm. Put her in a cage when u are not around and allow her free flight IN house supervised when u are home, because of the dogs and cat. Or allow her her own room where other animals cannot harm her.

Babies are usually always very trusting and tame for the most part. I would not allow one pigeon that tame free flight outside, they dont behave normally and are a target from both animals and other non caring humans. Unless u want a coop full of birds, just keep this one as a pet, no mate needed or you will get into a flock and NEED the farm.///


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Agree with CBL. Please protect her. You can get an indoor flight cage. That's where we house both Fiona, in one room, and our thus far unnamed presumably female, in another room. Pigeons are wonderful pets.


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## jcapozze (Aug 25, 2015)

No, this is definitely a wild bird. It is a fledgling so it hasn't learned yet to be afraid of people. Soon it will show fear and act more normally. I would not pick it up because the parents are invariably closeby. When the pigeon can fly well enough it will follow the parents and learn survival strategies from them.


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## MrHollow (Aug 5, 2015)

It's been 3 weeks and i'm kind of curious about it's progress. We found our baby pigeon about 3 weeks ago as well and she's been doing great with us, unfortunately we think she's become way to tame to be released outside and doing so will probably mean her death


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

If she is too tame to release please don't release her.


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## Bella_F (Nov 29, 2008)

She could have been dumped from someone's loft, unfortunately. She would be very trusting and wouldn't know what to eat if that was the case.

My loft is a combination of rescued racing and feral pigeons. My ash red racers looked like the baby in your photo when they are babies. Racing pigeons often get lost and breed in feral flocks, so could also be a wild baby from one of those. Strange it would be tame if that's the case.


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## RamseyRingnecks (Jun 18, 2013)

That little bird is barely four weeks old. Most breeders band on day 7 and no one on their right mind would try to fly a baby bird that young.

It is not uncommon for feral babies to imprint on a human care taker and refuse to leave their company.

Ash red is actually a dominant sex linked color. Uncommon in city pigeons because it stands out and makes them easy targets for birds of prey. Not so uncommon in barn pigeons because it stands out much less in the country.

Wait until it molts into big bird feathers! That's going to be a beautiful red checker.


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## Marea (Jul 26, 2015)

Hi guys!

Sorry for the late update - I wasn't notified of your replies till this morning.

Piha's doing great! I got a big, macaw-size antique cage for her when she's inside, and she hangs out in the chicken pen when she's outside. She seems to have absolutely no interest in going off on her own and is content to hang out with the chickens and me. 

Thanks for all your input! She's totally a red checker! She's even starting to get those awesome metallic neck-feathers. Her voice is also changing, and this morning she made her first sorta-coo. Does that mean she's a he? And I think she has fancy pigeon somewhere in her recent ancestry, cause she's getting some feathering on her legs and toes.


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## MrHollow (Aug 5, 2015)

Nope, it doesn't mean it's a he. We have a rescue feral pigeon and i'm pretty sure she's a female and she started cooing 1 week ago so i guess they're about the same age. Mine follows us around the house and she just wants to hang with us. If she finds us she's calm and she just chills around.

When we're not around she just coos for a few times until we come and check her out ) She's a sweetie.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Piha is gorgeous!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Cute Xferal pigeon. He/she seemed tame because it was not yet weaned. You found him at a good time to imprint on him, he'd best be kept as a pet instead of letting loose to be feral. 
But when he matures he will look for a mate and may fly off if left at liberty. What sex it is will be more apparent when it matures, but even then it can be hard to tell.


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