# Pigeon and a Dove



## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

Ive got a Dove that I have had for years, now have an injured pigeon. The pigeon has been in a cage for about a week and was getting frustrated I think so I let him out to stretch his wings.

Flew straight over to where my Dove was and where her seed and water is and started flapping his wings, she eventually flew off and he went on to eat her food and water. She flew back shortly after and he then started cooing and doing a little dance towards her, is this a sign that he likes her? Shes not too impressed at the moment as she has only been around humans for most of her life but I would like for them to get on.

This cooing and dancing is this a behavior that it wants to mate?

Also the pigeon is huge compared to my dove, would this be dangerous for my dove?


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## EgypSwiftLady (Jan 14, 2008)

Sounds like your pigeon is looking for love. 

I have both pigeons and doves and would never think of keeping them together. I think pigeons can get alot meaner than doves and as you stated they are different sizes. Doves and pigeons are really the same animal, just a different breed... at least thats what I've learned from PT.

Many people have kept doves and pigeons together and have'nt had any problems, but I don't need another thing to worry about so I don't and won't. 

Hope this helps.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Pirus said:


> *This cooing and dancing is this a behavior that it wants to mate?
> 
> **Also the pigeon is huge compared to my dove, would this be dangerous for my dove?


*Yes, it's likely.

** It can be very dangerous since the pigeon is larger and is more aggressive, since he is a male. If the dove is a hen she will be more passive and laid back, that's usually the case. I wouldn't leave them alone together, yes he could hurt her.


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

Did'nt realise pigeons would be aggressive


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*They can be aggressive*

But doves can be aggressive as well. The meanest bird that I have is a Ringneck dove cock bird. He's just alittle jerk and picks on one of the hens in the coop all the time. I think he hates her because she always wants to get into his nest where he already has a mate with eggs. The hen seems not to mind but the cock bird as I said is a real jerk.

I don't have any pigeons that are that mean. Pigeons, being larger than the doves could bully them and are usually best not kept together. Mine are next to each other but in separate pens. Still, many people have had hybrids of Ringneck doves crossed with pigeons. These birds will always be sterile or mules and it may be that are even all cock birds. I've never seen a hen.

These two birds are not different breeds, they are the same genus but different species. Pigeons are Columbia Livia, I think, and doves ...well, they are Columbia something else. Someone is sure to look that up for us.

You might let your birds get together and see how they get along if the size difference is not too great. If the pigeon is not overly aggressive, they may be a fine happy couple. It is clear that he likes the dove but do you know the sex of the dove? It may not matter and without major bullying, they may get along fine either way. Just watch them very carefully to be sure they actually get along.

I had a sparrow that was mated to a parakeet when I was a kid. It was an odd pairing but they were very kind to each other. The sparrow was an orphan that I handfed and I eventually released it to the wild.

Bill


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

The dove is a hen and is always laying eggs.

He does look very fond of her but he dwarfs her in size, he stands up straight and the dove has more of a bent down stance to her.

I also once had a sparrow that was hand reared and we had budgies and it lived with them, scared the old one a lot but only because he moved so quick. Was so tame would try and eat the food from your mouth if you ate anything and would always pick at your plate. Eventually it escaped but lived in the garden very happy.


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## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

I wouldn't leave them alone together or keep them in the same pen. The dove would always be in potential danger because of the size difference.

I have both kinds of birds but keep them separated. Things may seem ok between them but then sometimes a little squabble can turn ugly and the dove could get scalped (or worse.) 

One of my newer pigeons seems to have a vendetta against the doves too. Maybe because they are so noisy? Once when I had the door open between the pens he tried to go right after them, in an unfriendly way, so I'm very careful now to not let them mix.

btw: Ringnecks are "Streptopelia risoria" so not part of the same genus as "Columbia Livia" but still very closely related...


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> I think pigeons can get alot meaner than doves and as you stated they are different sizes


That has been my experience. Pigeons are very aggressive towards smaller or injured birds. Doves (ie Eurasian Collared doves) can be aggressive but not harmful. Woodpigeons are gentle.

We have Poppet, our collared dove, in the aviary with 100 or so feral pigeons. Poppet bosses them around and suceeds because she is so confident and agile. However, I keep a close eye on her, because if she was to become weak in any way the ferals would peck at her. So I am always ready to move her to the doviary, where she would have the gentle companionship of other collared doves and two wood pigeons.

Having said that, our Silly Billy Squeaker, who is a hen, really took to a disabled collared dove and tucked her under her breast at night. And Julie (Turkey) had a collared dove and a feral pigeon that paired up.

Cynthia


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

I would have to agree, probably not a good arrangement, unfortunately.  I started out with a male pigeon and a female dove, who were fine together when the pigeon was young, but as he grew he became too bossy and aggressive with the dove and they had to be separated. I have a male dove and a female pigeon who have been mates for a few years and that works out fine. But the other way around usually causes problems. I think they can socialize together as long as you're watching them, but I wouldn't let them alone together.


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*It is the more typical arrangement*



maryjane said:


> I would have to agree, probably not a good arrangement, unfortunately.  I started out with a male pigeon and a female dove, who were fine together when the pigeon was young, but as he grew he became too bossy and aggressive with the dove and they had to be separated. I have a male dove and a female pigeon who have been mates for a few years and that works out fine. But the other way around usually causes problems. I think they can socialize together as long as you're watching them, but I wouldn't let them alone together.


To have a dove cock bird and a hen pigeon but it doesn't mean that it can't work. If they were to pair off, he would not be mean to her. As I said, I'd watch them carefully but I would also give them a chance.

Someone above mentioned that wood pigeons are gentle. They are huge and normally quite timid. I have seen them in the wild and know someone who raises them. They are gentle and timid giants. Size does not necessarily dictate attitude.

Bill


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

Ive looked after a few wood pigeons before, lovely birds. We have 6 or 8 of them visit our garden every day, I had an injured one not so long ago but he died  Thought he was getting better then just had a horrible fit, no idea what was wrong with him. He came to us as he couldnt move and the lady said he flew into the window.










They both stay in the same room, the dove is free, the pigeon is in a cage at the moment but also have a 2 tier hutch that I am just letting the fumes disapear from the weatherproof coating. I will let the pigeon out more and more often and only when im in the room, problem is getting him back in the page, hes a powerful bugger now and is really fast. He is good though if I corner him he will just jump back in the cage on his own. Hopefully they will get along eventually.


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Interesting*



Pirus said:


> Ive looked after a few wood pigeons before, lovely birds. We have 6 or 8 of them visit our garden every day, I had an injured one not so long ago but he died  Thought he was getting better then just had a horrible fit, no idea what was wrong with him. He came to us as he couldnt move and the lady said he flew into the window.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


For some reason I missed the fact that it was you referring to the Wood Pigeon as the suitor for the Collared Dove. Well, that is certainly a size difference. In the US, we call the Collareds, Ringnecks. I personally refer to Wood Pigeons as Wood Doves but it is obvious that they forgot to ask me when they named them. To me, they are a very large Dove as was the Passenger Pigeon. Again, they forgot to ask.

Anyway, while you have quite a Mutt and Jeff situation on your hands and breeding would certainly be a major challenge, I'd see how it goes. 

I think maybe the Wood Pigeon of the UK is slightly different than the ones I used to see in Germany but maybe not. It seems that the German variety was more of an all slate blue with the white nape, probably subspecies of one another. I just remember how beautiful and how large they were....and timid.

Bill


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*I knew someone would come up with it*



amoonswirl said:


> I wouldn't leave them alone together or keep them in the same pen. The dove would always be in potential danger because of the size difference.
> 
> I have both kinds of birds but keep them separated. Things may seem ok between them but then sometimes a little squabble can turn ugly and the dove could get scalped (or worse.)
> 
> ...


And you are right, I checked too. Just goes to show that even I am not too old to learn something new. The wood pigeon was columbia something but not livia. Originally, I was assuming domestic pigeon. Best not to assume eh?

I also noticed that they showed both a collared dove and a ringneck dove and assigned two species. What is the diff between those two? Anybody know that one?

Bill

Bill


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

Getting along a bit better now, he isnt so aggressive towards her


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Now what birds are these?*

I thought we had a wood pigeon and collared dove, now we have white pigeon and I think a collared dove. Which birds are we talking about. These two are close in size.

Bill


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

This is a white pigeon and a collard dove, the wood pigeon above died  

They dont look similar in size if the wood pigeon stands up, it looks twice the size.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

So right, Bill. Woodpigeons are very gentle. Two of ours in particular are kinda like Poppet dove's friends, really. They sit around together a lot, and the woodies are very tolerant of Poppet's shenanigans when she's being bossy 

The ringneck is as Amoonswirl said - Streptopelia risoria - also known as Barbary Doves, a domesticated form of the African Collared Dove 'roseogrisa' (Pigeons & Doves of the World). Collared Dove is Streptopelia decaocto, naturally found in India, the Middle East, and most of Europe. 

John


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

My dove is an angry little so and so  he only wants to sit with her but she is being very aggressive towards him.


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*John, what is the difference in these two?*



John_D said:


> So right, Bill. Woodpigeons are very gentle. Two of ours in particular are kinda like Poppet dove's friends, really. They sit around together a lot, and the woodies are very tolerant of Poppet's shenanigans when she's being bossy
> 
> The ringneck is as Amoonswirl said - Streptopelia risoria - also known as Barbary Doves, a domesticated form of the African Collared Dove 'roseogrisa' (Pigeons & Doves of the World). Collared Dove is Streptopelia decaocto, naturally found in India, the Middle East, and most of Europe.
> 
> John


The Barbary and the Collared and which one do I know as the Ringneck?

Bill


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

jbangelfish said:


> The Barbary and the Collared and which one do I know as the Ringneck?
> 
> Bill


The domestic ringneck would be what the author calls the Barbary Dove - but seems the term 'ringneck' is used now for various domestic breeds or wild species with that particular characteristic appearance. 

Gets even better though, Bill, when you see pics of 'ringnecks' which are solid color and don't actually have a ring 

The Collared Dove (Eurasian Collared Dove) is the one which was introduced into the US via the Bahamas and Florida and has spread over quite vast distances. 

John


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Thanks John*



John_D said:


> The domestic ringneck would be what the author calls the Barbary Dove - but seems the term 'ringneck' is used now for various domestic breeds or wild species with that particular characteristic appearance.
> 
> Gets even better though, Bill, when you see pics of 'ringnecks' which are solid color and don't actually have a ring
> 
> ...


In the US, the only one that I've seen called Ringneck, appears to all be the same species with several mutation colors from white, peach, tangerine, pied and I think there are some other new ones. These I'm sure must all be the Barbary. Is this the same bird that I used to see in Germany? I always thought it was.

In my experiences with them and their various mutation colors, the black ring goes away but you can still see it as a different feather structure, even in whites. Not real obvious but still there. Some have a white ring in the tangerines and pieds, very pretty birds. I currently have normals which I've heard referred to as duns and I have Peach, which was one of the first mutations.

Bill


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

jbangelfish said:


> In the US, the only one that I've seen called Ringneck, appears to all be the same species with several mutation colors from white, peach, tangerine, pied and I think there are some other new ones. These I'm sure must all be the Barbary. Is this the same bird that I used to see in Germany? I always thought it was.
> 
> In my experiences with them and their various mutation colors, the black ring goes away but you can still see it as a different feather structure, even in whites. Not real obvious but still there. Some have a white ring in the tangerines and pieds, very pretty birds. I currently have normals which I've heard referred to as duns and I have Peach, which was one of the first mutations.
> 
> Bill


They are indeed pretty birds. I noticed some recently at the place from which we have had our aviaries. Various colors, and a couple who looked just like the wild Collared Dove to my untrained eye (for domestic breeds).

John


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Pirus said:


> My dove is an angry little so and so  he only wants to sit with her but she is being very aggressive towards him.


Maybe that's because she has been around people so much?

Our Poppet dove was pretty much raised from tiny by people, and we took her in, as a juvenile, when they were going away somewhere. Poppet thinks I am her mate, but definitely prefers any humans to birds. 

She cannot abide other Collared Doves. She seems to get on with the woodpigeons, but our other rescued pigeons are likely to get a wing slap from this little dove half their size if they even land ona perch next to her.

Oh, and she gets very jealous if I pay attention to one of the other birds in her presence 

John


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*Thanks again John*



John_D said:


> They are indeed pretty birds. I noticed some recently at the place from which we have had our aviaries. Various colors, and a couple who looked just like the wild Collared Dove to my untrained eye (for domestic breeds).
> 
> John


There are two varieties that get referred to as normal color and one is the most common of the domesticated varieties. It looks just like the wild but has lost the hint of gray or slate, which people refer to as duns. Mine are mostly peach, a few duns and one of the typical domesticated ones, or normal. It takes a pretty close look to see the difference between a dun (wild type) and a normal and most would not even notice.

Bill


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

This is my homer, Thunder Pidgey, and my ringneck dove, Dumpty. They weren't mean to each other at all, but the homer was the hen.

Licha


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

AZfiddler_1996 said:


> This is my homer, Thunder Pidgey, and my ringneck dove, Dumpty. They weren't mean to each other at all, but the homer was the hen.
> 
> Licha


That is a beautiful sight 

John


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## AZfiddler_1996 (Jul 13, 2005)

Thanks, John. Thunder Pidgey is now paired up with a pigeon, Silver Rain, and Dumpty paired up with my other ringneck dove, Humpty. _Humpty and Dumpty _and _Thunder Storm and Silver Rain_. lol They made good choices.

Here are a couple links with pictures of hybrids (which I never got): 
http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=221421&postcount=8

http://www.ringneckdove.com/Wilmer's WebPage/pigeon_dove_hybrids.htm

Alice


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

Thats a great photo that  

The hen is the dove, the male is the pigeon. Its his first night staying out the cage tonight, he didnt want to go back in so I have just left him.

They are not bothered by each other, but if they invade each others space the dove does not seem happy.


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## Pirus (Apr 13, 2008)

As I said in another thread, I had to donate my laptop to the dove as she made it her bed each night as she sleeps on that at the side of my bed


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## Littlecoo (Apr 20, 2008)

Here is a good, well researched little reference I found a few months back about 'ringneck' doves: http://www.diamonddove.info/bird11%20Ringneck.htm

I like to go by the vocalisations of ringneck type doves as identification first and colouration second-just my way of sorting out the feathered confusion for myself However over here in Australia there are no significant feral populations of these doves- African, Eurasian, Barbary or whatever (as of yet) that I am aware of, just got my own featherkids as my reference. Here are some samples of my doves' voices provided by my sweet white hen, Shilo:
http://users.tpg.com.au/littleco/Coo.mp3
http://users.tpg.com.au/littleco/Shilo5laugh.wav

Shilo (she is the dove I used for my avatar btw) is an amazing foster mum- raised a few feral squeaker pigeons successfully and size (of the pigeon guests I have taken in in the past) did not seem to bother her even tolerates the adult pijies- she is an assertive little lady. This may be just a unique temperament quirk of this dove (and she considers me to be her 'mate'). But that may be just the point- yah know size isn't everything  Temperament-wise, Pirus' 'odd couple' may work out- just keep an eye on the I s'pose.


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## Insomniac (Aug 21, 2007)

We have ringneck doves in an aviary within the pigeon aviary and they like to interact...and if I'm with them, I'll let the doves out for a fly around the larger aviary...but if I leave them alone, Oddball and Luna gang up on them and the doves don't fight back at all, they barely move! Oddball will stand on their backs and grab onto their heads. If I'm there, they don't try anything. I would never leave them alone together even if they love eachother... Luna and Oddball are a great couple, very close, but even they have a scrap once and awhile and if Luna was a dove, she'd be injured.


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