# Dove/Pigeon Hybrid



## asadj (May 7, 2007)

Hi
Many people(like W J Miller) produced male pigeon x female dove hybrids.
I see these hybrid pictures on www.ringneckdove.com

Can anybody cross between Male Dove X Female Pigeon?
Have anybody Male Dove X Female Pigeon Hybrid pictures?


----------



## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question.

Reti


----------



## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

I don't recommend crossing unless, you have done a LOT of research.
Most hybrids end up, or are sterile.

Hhhmm... I don't know if they can be crossed that way. Online there are several different sites about dove/pigeon hybrids. I'll see if I can dig up a few I have found. I haven't had a whole lot of time to read them, so I don't know if they'll answer your question.

Most likely someone on here will have the answers you seek.

Hilly


----------



## Flying_Pidgy (Apr 26, 2006)

i never knew they could be mixed? or can they? i always though of it this way.. like a human trying to get an offspring from an ape... they have almost identical characteristcs but it just wont work. maybe im wrong, idk


----------



## RussianRoller (Mar 19, 2007)

*sterile*

*Even If the Dove/Pigeon Hybrids are sterile, U can always put pigeon, or dove eggs under them, and use them as foster parents. I have seen pictures of 18 year old Dove/Pigeon Hybrids.*


----------



## warriec (Feb 2, 2007)

no pictures but i was suppose to have rescued one asper some breeders when i was small. not a very impressive birds. it was white, had a pidgeon beak but a dove size body.


----------



## asadj (May 7, 2007)

*send me pictures*

HI
Russian Roller,
Can you send me dove/pigeon hybrid pictures?


----------



## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

What is the point of producing something that abnormal anyway - just for one's own 'interest' or amusement?

People who care about pigeons, dovea or any bird will just allow them to be what they are, not use them to produce something which probably cannot have offspring or a normal life.

John


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

John_D said:


> What is the point of producing something that abnormal anyway - just for one's own 'interest' or amusement?
> 
> People who care about pigeons, dovea or any bird will just allow them to be what they are, not use them to produce something which probably cannot have offspring or a normal life.
> 
> John


Just adding my opinion:

I agree with you 100%, John!

Feel the same way about what's happening with dogs and cats and who know what else!

Too many animals need good homes without messing around creating a "new" or crossing some breeds!


----------



## laughingdog (Jun 14, 2011)

i have a baby from gone feral racing pigeons, and its sibling didnt make it at hatch (i tried to help when it was hatching and it was to early apparently im finding out now), and well wondering if ittl try to take over and cross with one of the foster parents (which i wouldnt want), but wasnt sure if it was even a usual problem, or if itll need to be seperated at any certain time/age, to prevent trouble, but dont want it lonely..

looking up possabilities, ive found crosses both ways done mostly on purpose, and accident, but only photos of pigeon x dove (cause im curious and look odd stuff up like that!).


----------



## Sionnach Dhu (Jun 18, 2011)

Flying_Pidgy said:


> i never knew they could be mixed? or can they? i always though of it this way.. like a human trying to get an offspring from an ape... they have almost identical characteristcs but it just wont work. maybe im wrong, idk


 Humans and apes aren't closely enough related to interbreed at all, but plenty of other species are, apparently including domestic pigeons and doves. The resulting hybrids are often sterile. Not always, though - it depends on _how_ closely related the species are. 

For example, mules are created by crossing a male donkey with a female horse. There's a practical reason for that cross, since it usually creates a good strong working animal that combines the surefootedness, toughness, and intelligence of the donkey with the higher trainabililty of the horse, and normally without the sexual drives that can interfere with work. However, there have been reported cases of female mules mating with male donkeys and producing offspring. 

Some other relatively common cross-species hybrids are between lions and tigers for exhibition and circus purposes, and likewise between zebras and domestic horses. Small wildcats and domestic cats have been crossed for pet purposes (the "Savannah" and "Bengal" cat breeds were created that way, and aren't legal in a lot of places). And domestic cattle and North American bison were crossed for meat purposes; the resulting "Beefalo" turned out to be fertile, and are now considered an actual breed. Plus, although they're three different species, the wolf, coyote, and domestic dog can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. 

There are a bunch of other possible ones, these are just the ones I know off the top of my head.

Having said that, I'm not sure WHY anyone would want to cross domestic doves and pigeons - what benefit would there be, other than (as someone mentioned up-thread) using them to sit on other birds' eggs?

As a side note, and despite the hype, crosses between two breeds of dog are NOT accurately called "hybrids", and don't have "hybrid vigor" - they're just plain mixed breed or crossbred dogs, and anybody who pays $$$$$ for one instead of going to their local shelter has been ripped off. 
Whether or not they have good health depends, pure and simple, on whether the parents were healthy.


----------



## laughingdog (Jun 14, 2011)

couldcombinin wild native doves to werever you are, with your pgeons, make better survival rates from native instincts and/or just better camo (as alot im hearing from have birds with alot of white, then wonder why they seem especially attractive and preyed upon by birds of prey)? able to work with available means if were side tracked temporaily in a storm or wounded but escaped predator, but still instinctively wants to home.. ??? a probably wrong idea and one im not caring to test, but maybe practical reason aside from putting some different color and then keep crossing with that color back to pigeons?


----------



## Sionnach Dhu (Jun 18, 2011)

laughingdog said:


> a probably wrong idea and one im not caring to test, but maybe practical reason aside from putting some different color and then keep crossing with that color back to pigeons?


 I can see that as a reason for trying out the cross - and in fact, it's the method by which some traits have been gotten into some breeds of animal - but it depends on whether the first generation of hybrid offspring is fertile. My impression was that the original poster was asking about domestic pigeons and domestic ringneck doves, which according to what I've read, produce infertile offspring - IOW, breeding them is a dead end. 

Your question made me curious, though - since there are a lot more species of doves & pigeons than the domestic ones - so I did a bit of poking around the web and found this document: http://www.internationaldovesociety.com/Articles/hybrids.htm

One of the interesting facts in there is that ringneck doves and mourning doves (which are the only natives here in MD, as far as I know) don't produce fertile offspring, despite being fairly close in appearance. I also noticed that one of the species listed as having been used in the test crosses is the passenger pigeon, so some of that data has got to be *old*!


----------



## PigeonX (Oct 17, 2010)

Here are sites that have dove and pigeon hybrids
http://mail.sumnercomm.net/~rmangile/Pigeons/Photos.html
and http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-birds.htm


----------



## Ali Raza (Jul 25, 2011)

*Dove Pigeon Mix*

I have two male dove/ female pigeon mix. I accidentally put them into one cage and never thought they could reproduce. Hopefully they will be fine and not sterile.


----------



## ValencianFigs (Jul 10, 2010)

There is also a mourning dove and ringneck dove hybrid on this link http://mail.sumnercomm.net/~rmangile/Pigeons/Photos2.html


----------

