# Hybrids



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

My first pigeon was a big black male (he still is lol) and his first wife was a small beige ringneck dove (they were both small and young when they met). Of course they are technically the same species but babies are still called hybrids. They had a clutch that hatched into hybrids, which I've heard are very rare. I can find almost no information on pigeon/dove hybrids anywhere. Both babies lived and were a dark/light gray mixture, slim pigeon-bodied, with dove heads. They made a horrible gurgling cooing sound, the poor things, but were such beautiful birds (I lost them to an illness that took five of my birds three summers ago ).
That pigeon now has a pigeon wife his size. I have a male dove who was born last year at the same time as a female pigeon, both were orphaned so I hand-raised them together and they mated and finally laid eggs this week! I haven't tried anymore dove/pigeon pairing since the pigeons are too hard on the little doves, but these two want nothing to do with any other birds and are in love so here we go. I can't wait to see if they hatch hybrids.

I wonder if anyone else has or has had hybrids from a dove and a pigeon? I would love to hear your stories. Thanks!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

There is a huge amount of interesting information on Dr. Wilmer Miller's site, so take a look around after you read this link: 

http://www.concannon.net/wilmer/Wilmer's%20WebPage/pigeon_dove_hybrids.htm

Terry


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I actually found that site when I was looking for hybrid info a few years ago, it's a great one. That's pretty much exactly what my hybrids looked like (the second picture), without the frills. Other than that site, there seems to be no other info on hybrids. I guess they're just really rare. Thanks for the help


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Hybred Racers*



maryjane said:


> I actually found that site when I was looking for hybrid info a few years ago, it's a great one. That's pretty much exactly what my hybrids looked like (the second picture), without the frills. Other than that site, there seems to be no other info on hybrids. I guess they're just really rare. Thanks for the help


HI MARYJANE,If you keep cross breeding you will find that the birds will revert bact to the ROCK DOVE from which all the current breeds are descented from.Now if you are trying to create a new breed,then you must understand genitics, it is very time consuming to create a new breed. If you are just mating a pair of pet birds,thats ok enjoy the birds is the name of the game. Now with racing homers we do have what is called a hybred.but we cross two familys of race birds which still look and in fact still are race birds. GEORGE


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

MARYJANE,Crossing a pigeon and a dove the hybreds are sterile in almost all cases. The same as a horse and a donkey's hybred the MULE which are also sterile. GEORGE


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Yes, both of my hybrids were of course sterile. I just found an old picture of them and scanned it, the pic is a bit dirty in the corner but it's a super picture of them and their buddy Pierre. Pierre came from Pier 39 in San Francisco; we went on the ferry to a Giants game several years ago and there she was, hobbling along, a dirty greasy all-black bird with fishing thread wrapped around her toes and feet. We snuck (sneaked?) her back on the ferry wrapped in a sweater and saved three of her toes, then after two months of washing with Dawn, found out she is actually a beautiful light gray girl. So here is a picture of Pierre at her finest, and the two hybrids we called "the Monkeys" (mom was a beige ringneck dove and dad a big black formerly-feral pigeon)


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi MaryJane, 

What a lovely photo of Pierre and the "Monkeys"...what a shame you lost them, they were truly unique! I've seen some hybrid photos of doves and pigeons before, but these ones are very different looking...just beautiful.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thank you Brad, they were very special. Hopefully I'll have one or two more in the next few weeks!


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