# Mourning dove - how old to know sex



## trmnshwrx (Jun 10, 2011)

We have a mourning dove that fell out of a tree in our back yard during a wind storm - we think it was about a week old at the time. So we think it's about two and a half weeks old now, and we keep switching back and forth between calling it "it" and "he." Of course, it could be a "she," too.
I've looked up how to tell the difference, but don't know when this will be. I used to raise cockatiels, and it took a few months, but when some members of the clutch showed themselves to be male by their plumage changing, we knew the others were female.

When will we be able to tell with a mourning dove?


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## cadenthedove (Jun 10, 2011)

i have a 4 yr old mourning dove that i hand reared. they only way you can tell if it is male or female is by the coloring. males have a purple color on their necks and a blueish color on their heads. however, you won't be able to see the colors until he gets his adult feathers, which could be a in a year.


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