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Dove in a box gender female. We distinguish by body structure

It is not easy to distinguish a dove from a dove, since these birds do not have obvious sexual characteristics that can be determined at first glance. Even experienced pigeon fanciers need to analyze many signs to determine whether it is a pigeon or a dove. The sex of a bird can be determined by comparing several different characteristics.

None of the methods for determining the sex of birds can be considered exhaustive or reliable. Approaches to determining gender are different. A set of characteristics is taken into account that helps determine the sex of the bird. It is most difficult to distinguish street pigeons by gender, since it is not possible to observe them for a long time or pick them up.

Dove and dove differ in many ways.

To determine gender, you simultaneously need to consider:

appearance of the bird;
body structure;
behavior during the mating season and towards humans;
color;
sounds made;
character traits.
Let's look at the details of each of these parameters.

Appearance and characteristics of the bird

Externally, the dove is almost no different from the dove.

You can visually distinguish a dove from a dove by comparing their appearance. The easiest way to do this is if you can compare the birds when they are nearby. Main distinctive features the following:

Size. The body of the dove is much smaller, shorter and lighter than that of the pigeon. Although in some breeds, males look more sophisticated and graceful than females. For example, in Chinese homing pigeons, the male is much smaller in size than the female.
Shape of head and beak. The male's head is distinguished by a wide frontal part. The dove's head is smaller and more graceful. Birds can be distinguished by their beaks. The pigeon has a massive beak with a wide base. The dove has an elegant beak, narrow at the base.
Neck. The male has a wide neck, the female has a long and thin neck.
Eyes. In the dove they are more convex and expressive than in the pigeon.
Color. It is possible to distinguish the sex of birds by color only in some breeds of pigeons that are considered autosex. Males are painted in darker colors. Rock pigeons have almost the same color, but the male has a noticeable metallic sheen on the breast of a pinkish or greenish color. The female may also have a shine, but not as obvious, more dull.

The structure of the pelvis in a pigeon and a dove, their differences

An experienced owner will determine the sex of a bird at first glance.

Analysis of the structure of the pelvic bones is considered the most reliable way to determine the sex of a bird. In order to examine the bird's pelvis. You need to pick it up and feel it. You need to feel a pair of pelvic bones:

In a male, the distance between the two bones is practically not noticeable. They fit tightly to each other.
In females, the bones are located approximately 2-3 centimeters from each other. Although this distance is mainly determined if the females have already laid eggs. It is after this process that the pelvic bones of the doves “diverge.” Before the onset of sexual maturity, doves, just like pigeons, have no distance between the pelvic bones.

Behavioral characteristics during the mating season

Pigeons are monogamous birds, so they show love only to their mate.

Like people, birds tend to behave differently at different times in their lives. The behavior of males and females during the mating season is especially different:

Males are more active, trying to attract the attention of the female. The dove spreads its tail, sticks out its crop, and pursues the dove. The male shows some belligerence. If there are two pigeons in the same territory during the mating season, a fight will certainly arise between them.
The behavior of the dove is calm and modest. She will not share territory with another female; rather, she will begin to sweetly communicate with her by quiet cooing.

One way to distinguish birds by sex is to place a pair in the same cage. Two males will begin to prove their own superiority. Doves will calmly react to the presence of an individual of the opposite sex. If there is a dove and a dove in the cage, the male will behave confidently and begin to study the “lady”.

Attention! Placing two individuals in one cage is not a reliable method of determining sex. Birds, like people, have different personalities. Sometimes two temperamental lovebirds can start to quarrel. Due to the fact that pigeons are monogamous birds, a dove can also show aggression towards a strange male.

The behavior of birds of different sexes and in relationships with humans is characteristic. If you reach out your hand to the male, he will try to peck it. The female behaves peacefully; there will be no response from her in the form of protection. You can try pulling the bird's beak. The male will sharply move his head away, the female will react more calmly and allow herself to be touched.

The pigeon's behavior is always more active and dominant.

If you put a pair of different sexes in a cage, a courtship process will most likely begin. The male “dances” around the female, spins around his axis, and arches his neck. If the dove indifferently moves aside, the dove follows her, continuing to coo. If a dove likes a gentleman, she begins to puff up her feathers in the pelvic area and bends low. The dove begins to “sweep” its tail along the floor and bow to the dove.

This method is not particularly reliable, since the behavior of the bird depends on its temperament. There are some doves who will turn their heads in every possible way and break free. At the same time, calm males can allow themselves to be pulled by the beak.

Important! Poultry farmers also advise picking up the bird and running your hand over the belly. The pigeon will immediately tighten its legs, but the female will not change her body position.

By voice

The dove coos loudly and persistently, in contrast to the quiet cooing of the dove.

Traditional methods of determining sex

Experienced pigeon breeders use a very original old-fashioned method for determining the sex of birds. They use a metal pendulum. Pigeon breeders claim that this method allows one to reliably determine the sex of a bird with an accuracy of 98%. The essence of the technique is to use a pendulum made of copper, bronze or brass.

The method of determining the polo of a pigeon using a pendulum still works.

A piece of metal is tied to a thread and held over the bird's tailbone and genitals. The pendulum swings over the dove's pelvis, and over the dove it makes circular movements. There is no scientific explanation for this behavior of the pendulum, but many pigeon owners claim that they successfully use this folk method of determining the sex of birds.

How to determine the sex of chicks

At birth, it is even more difficult to distinguish male pigeons from girls than adult birds. The little chicks have the same behavior and their voices are also no different. The size of the chicks of both sexes is approximately the same. The only sexual characteristics of chicks are head size and beak structure.. The head of males is large, and the beak is more massive and wider than that of females.

Attention! Clear differences in appearance are visible in some breeds: female Texans have long down, while males have short down.

All of the listed methods for determining the sex of pigeons must be used in combination. An attentive birder will definitely notice all the distinctive signs, and no pigeon will be able to outwit him.

The video illustrates how to determine the sex of a pigeon with a homemade pendulum:

How to distinguish a dove from a dove? This question is of great interest to novice pigeon breeders, because they must know what to expect from the bird and how to properly form breeding pairs. Experienced breeders already know what signs can be used to determine the sex of a bird; for this they have several methods in their arsenal. Let's talk about them in more detail.

External signs

At first glance, a dove is distinguished from a dove by its size, plumage color, and some anatomical features. Males are always denser, their heads are larger, and their beaks are thicker.

Although these signs do not give one hundred percent confidence that the gender is determined correctly, because representatives of different breeds have a lot of their own characteristics. There are many decorative breeds of pigeons in which the females have larger and denser bones. In addition, the age of the bird can also be misleading - older pigeons will have rougher beaks and eyelids than those of a young pigeon.

As for the plumage, according to experts, it is slightly darker in females than in males. But this criterion does not always make it possible to accurately determine who is in front of you - a dove or a dove; each breed has its own characteristics in coloring. Thus, we can conclude that it is possible to distinguish the sex of a bird by appearance only if you know well the main differences of a particular breed.

The pseudo-scientific or folk method

Another method of determining the sex of pigeons is using a copper, bronze or brass pendulum. A small answer made of these materials is tied to a thread, the bird is taken in one hand, and the pendulum in the other. The pendulum is raised above the bird's tailbone and genitals. If you have a dove in your hands, the pendulum will swing along your back. If it is a dove, he will begin to make circular movements. Pigeon breeders who use this method claim that this method can determine the sex of a bird with an accuracy of 98.8%.

What influences the movements of the pendulum is not known to official science. Actually, she has never dealt with this issue, so she cannot give an answer. And if she did, if serious scientists seriously began to study the method, perhaps they would make a serious scientific discovery. Maybe someday this will be done again, and we will learn a lot of new things about the nature of birds.

Such different behavior

Behavior in pigeons and doves in various life situations not the same. A dove will always differ from a dove in its manners and reaction to danger. If pigeon breeders begin to pull pigeons by the beak, the females will take this calmly, and the males will begin to break free.

The method of using the beak of pigeons to determine the sex has been used for a long time, although it is not always accurate, since the character of birds of different sexes may be different. Sometimes doves are even more aggressive and stress-resistant than pigeons.

Strong differences in the behavior of birds are observed only during the mating season. Males always behave more actively than females, and try to demonstrate all their beauty - they puff up the feathers on their tail, puff out their crops, walk importantly around the dove, and she only coos modestly in response to advances.

As a rule, pigeons create stable pairs, and at this time it is possible to accurately determine who is who by behavior, even if outwardly they are exactly the same.

But if you put two males in one cage, most likely they will start a fight, because they simply need to find out who is more important and stronger. But the lovebirds get along well together and it doesn’t come to the point of fighting.

Although this method does not always help to accurately determine the sex of a bird. Since pigeons are truly faithful to their chosen partners, the dove, having previously made her choice, may not allow another pigeon to approach her, and in the cage she will begin to show her attitude towards the stranger.

By voice

The sex of a bird can be determined by its voice, but for this you need to have good hearing. In doves, the cooing is gentle, soft, and grating, while in pigeons it is harsh and rough. Establishing the truth on this basis is possible only by comparing two pigeons of different sexes; their cooing is compared, listening carefully to it. And if the bird is alone, there is no one to compare its voice with, which means that this method is not accurate and gives only an approximate result.

According to the structure of the pelvic bones

Specialists and experienced pigeon breeders are able to determine the sex of a bird by the structure of its pelvis. The bird is picked up and the pelvic bones under the rib cage in the tail are felt. In males there is no gap between them, but in females there is a distance of several centimeters between them.

But if the female is still young and does not yet lay eggs, she will not have a gap between the pelvic bones. And in males with problems with the skeletal system, these bones may be too widely spaced. Thus, this method is not always accurate and definitive; most likely, to determine sex, you need to use all the methods described above.

In order to carry out breeding work and artificially create bird pairs, the breeder must be able to correctly determine the sex of an individual. It is impossible to distinguish a dove from a dove based on primary sexual characteristics, so you have to compare birds by analyzing them appearance, voice, body structure and even behavior. In addition to modern scientific techniques, you can also use folk ways.

External differences

By analyzing the appearance of the birds, the breeder can identify females and males in the flock. To do this, he needs to compare various parameters, which we will consider further.

Feather color

Bird feathers can have a wide variety of colors - from light blue and lilac to cherry, blue and black. The shades depend on the specific breed, but it is believed that the plumage of females is of two types:

darker, closer to black;
monotonous and nondescript, closer to gray.

This fact is due to the fact that the dim color helps the female to be less noticeable in environment and is a kind of protection from predators, which is especially important during the period when she hatches eggs and raises chicks.

Males, on the contrary, have lighter and more intense plumage. In addition, their feathers are often interspersed with additional colors. As a rule, the color of their neck is more intense and has a metallic tint, and there are beautiful patterns on the wings and tail. It is believed that this appearance helps males attract the attention of females to create a pair.

These differences do not apply to female and male pigeons of the decorative sexes, since their plumage is often the same in intensity.

Head and beak

Males have a high forehead, a more powerful and shorter neck, and a large rounded head. Females are distinguished by an elegant and small head on a longer neck. It should be noted that doves have larger and more expressive eyes.

If we compare the beaks of different-sex individuals, we should take into account that the males have coarser and thicker beaks. The same can be said about the cere - a section of thickened skin at the base of the beak, on which the external openings are located.

The structure of the pelvic bones

This is one of the most important parameters that the most experienced breeders pay attention to. To analyze the structure of the pelvic bones, the bird must be picked up and examined, stroking from the chest, along the stomach and to the cloaca. In the lower abdomen you need to palpate the pelvic bones:

in the male, both bones are tightly located to each other and almost invisible;
in females that have already laid eggs, the bones are 2-3 cm apart from each other.

It should be taken into account that the pelvic bones of doves diverge mainly from the moment they begin to lay eggs. In chicks before puberty, there are no differences in the structure of the pelvis, since both bones fit tightly to each other.

According to the observations of poultry farmers, when a person strokes their belly, males immediately tuck their paws, but females do not change their body position.

Voice

Experienced breeders can determine the sex of a bird by its voice:

Males coo much louder, more clearly and more persistently. They have a rough voice that is bass-heavy. This is explained by the fact that males strive to attract the attention of females with their roulades. In addition, their loud bass often scares off potential competitors.
The doves coo more gently and quietly. They have a deeper and guttural timbre, which is why their cooing is often called “burr.” The song of females sounds on one note with a soft voice, although there are individuals with a rougher sound, so they can be confused with males.

It is quite difficult to correctly determine the sex of a bird only by voice, since the factor of subjective human perception plays a large role.

Body measurements

Males are always larger and heavier, and also have a massive body. Females are distinguished by a more “graceful” figure and short legs. However, it must be taken into account that in some species of decorative pigeons the females are larger. This fact must be stated in the exterior characteristics of the breed.

When comparing pigeons by body size, their age must be taken into account, since a young bird is always smaller and more graceful than an older one. In addition, it is necessary to compare pigeons within the same breed, since females large breeds There are always more males of small and medium breeds.

Differences in Behavior

Exclusively by external factors It is not always possible to accurately determine the sex of a bird, since much depends on the characteristics of the breed, age and individual qualities. Given the differences in behavior between different sexes, gender can be more accurately determined.

The poultry farmer explains in the video below how a dove is distinguished from a dove:

Character

Males can show aggression even in a normally calm environment. As a rule, they begin to fight for territory or a female. It should be borne in mind that some pigeons can react quite calmly to the enemy’s attacks and even respond with a bow.

Females are calmer individuals, but if they already have a mate, then they can quite aggressively repel the suitor. At this moment, she may resemble a male.

Habits during the mating season

Males and females begin to change their character during the mating season:

Males become more active and try in every way to attract the attention of females. During this period, the pigeon tends to unfurl its tail and protrude its crop. Often he religiously pursues the dove and even shows some belligerence. If during the mating season there are several males in the same territory, they will certainly start a fight.
Doves behave calmly and modestly, but at the same time they refuse to share territory with another female. However, if several females are nearby, they do not fight, but communicate with each other by quiet cooing.

Attitude towards a person

Birds of different sexes react differently to humans. If you reach out your hand to a pigeon, it will try to peck it, because it will perceive the person’s actions as aggressive. In a similar situation, the dove behaves more peacefully and rarely bites.

Experienced breeders note that if you reach for the male’s beak, he will sharply move his head away. The female reacts more calmly and even allows her to be touched.

Traditional methods

Inexperienced breeders can use folk methods that have long been practiced by poultry farmers to determine the sex of a bird.

Planting birds in one cage

According to this method, it is necessary to put a pair of pigeons in one cage and monitor their behavior:

Males begin to bully each other if they find themselves together in a confined space, since each wants to prove his superiority over the other. Doves, on the other hand, behave more calmly and peacefully, even in the presence of the other sex.
If there are pigeons of different sexes in the cage, then the male behaves more confidently and even begins to study the “lady,” spinning around her and arching his neck. If the female responds with indifference to such courtship, then the male does not lag behind her and continues to coo. When the female likes the suitor, she begins to puff up her feathers in the pelvic area, move her tail along the floor and bow low.

When resorting to this method, you need to understand that it is not highly reliable, since the bird’s reaction often depends on its character. So, two temperamental females can easily start a fight in a cage. It should also be taken into account that doves are monogamous individuals, so they can also show aggression towards strange males.

Using a Pendulum

This method has been used for quite some time and, according to experienced pigeon breeders, it allows one to determine the sex of a bird with an accuracy of 98%. It assumes using pendulums made of copper, bronze or brass.

This method is implemented as follows:

Tie a piece of metal to a thread to get a kind of pendulum.
Take a bird in one hand and a homemade pendulum in the other. It should be placed above the tailbone and genitals of the pigeon.
If the pendulum swings along the line of the spine, it means that the breeder is facing a male specimen. If the pendulum makes a circular rotation, then this indicates a dove.

The breeder shows how to use a pendulum to distinguish the sex of pigeons in his video:

It should be noted that this method has no scientific basis, and therefore causes skepticism among professional pigeon breeders, but is often used by beginners.

How to determine the sex of chicks?

It is much more difficult to distinguish the sex of young birds than adult birds, since the chicks do not yet have many distinctive characteristics. They have the same pelvic structure, similar voice and similar behavior. However, there are some signs by which you can still distinguish the sex of a chick:

The head of small males is somewhat larger, and the beak is wider and more massive than that of females.
the size of the chicks of both sexes is approximately the same, but the males are somewhat larger;
In growing females of the Texan breed, the down is quite long, while in males, on the contrary, it is short.

To accurately determine the sex of chicks, you should find out the characteristics of the body structure and behavior of the breed of pigeons to which they belong.

Distinctive characteristics table

Experienced breeders analyze a set of parameters to accurately determine the sex of a pigeon. The final table of distinctive characteristics, which can be found below, will allow you to avoid mistakes in this matter:

Characteristic	Females
Bird sizes	The body dimensions of the doves are quite miniature.	They have a strong and powerful body.
Head	It has a round shape, devoid of bulges and irregularities. The neck is quite thin, and the wax and beak are graceful. As a rule, doves look with expressive eyes.	It has a rather pronounced frontal part. The neck is wider, and the beak and cere are developed and massive. Pigeons look with large and round eyes.
Plumage color	As a rule, it is monochromatic and lacks bright shine.	Males often have bright colored patches on their chest, wings and tail. Their body can be decorated with ornate patterns. In the neck area, feathers often shimmer in various shades - green, blue, burgundy.
Voice	More calm and melodic. It is believed that the doves burr slightly.	Quite loud, as the individual tries to attract the attention of females or scare away opponents. Their roar can be quite aggressive.
Interaction with individuals of the opposite sex	To express sympathy for the male they like, doves can dance slightly, coo and sit on their tail. If the female is already busy, she can react quite aggressively to an outside male.	When a pigeon likes a female, it begins to court her, show off its color, coo loudly and perform a courtship dance. He may even hug the “lady,” taking her under his wing.
Interaction with individuals of the same sex	Females react calmly to each other and can even enter into friendly relations.	Males often show aggression towards each other and begin to fight to prove their leadership and superiority.

So, to find out the sex of a pigeon, you need to take into account a number of parameters - the size of the head and beak, the color of the feathers, the structure of the pelvic bones, character and behavior during the mating season. In addition, there are a number of folk methods that have proven effective in practice and are used by many breeders. All these methods can be used in combination to maximize the accuracy of determining the sex of a bird.

Zhenya
How to distinguish a dove from a dove?

When breeding, it is necessary to learn how to accurately determine the sex of birds. But even experienced pigeon breeders often have problems with this, since there are no obvious sexual characteristics in males and females. But it is still possible to do this using different methods in combination.

Methods for determining gender

There are various ways in which over time you can learn to accurately determine the sex of pigeons:

The bird's appearance and body structure.
Behavioral factors.
Traditional methods.

The easiest way to distinguish a dove from a male is by its behavior during mating season. The pigeon behaves actively. He ruffles his feathers, spreads his tail and coos loudly as he chases the female, stepping and circling around her. If there is another male nearby, he can start a fight with him. The dove behaves calmer. If she accepts advances, she bows her head, lowers her tail and coos softly in response. And if she doesn’t like her partner, she avoids him.

Many pigeon breeders prefer to use folk methods in this matter. It is believed that if you extend your hand, the dove will definitely peck in return, and the female behaves more peacefully. There are other methods that have no scientific basis.

Advice. You should not completely rely on traditional methods, since birds have different characters and temperaments. Therefore, pigeons can behave differently, which does not always depend on gender.

How to determine gender by external characteristics

A pigeon fancier who already has experience with these birds can usually easily determine whether the bird in front of him is a female or a male. To do this, he only needs the external signs of a pigeon.

The male is usually heavier and larger than the dove, his head is larger and his beak is more massive. Not always, but there are differences in color. The pigeon is brighter in color, and additional colors may be present in its plumage.

The color of the female's plumage is calmer, and she herself is more graceful:

the body is smaller and lighter in weight;
the head is smaller;
the neck is longer;
the beak is thinner and narrower at the base.

But a lot here depends on the breed of pigeons. Males of some breeds may be smaller and more graceful than females.

To find out the sex of a bird, you can also feel its pelvic bones, which are located in the lower abdomen in the area of the tail feathers. In males, these bones are located nearby and feel like one whole, but in the dove they are located at some distance from each other.

Attention! It will not be possible to reliably determine the sex of a pigeon using the pelvic bones if the female has not yet laid eggs. If the pigeon has suffered from rickets, this method also does not work.

It is better for a novice pigeon breeder to first use all methods in combination in order to determine at least approximately the sex of an individual. At first there may be mistakes. But over time, the necessary experience will appear and it will be much easier to do this.

Gender of pigeons: video

Zhenya
How to distinguish a dove from a dove?

When breeding pigeons, it is necessary to learn how to accurately determine the sex of birds. But even experienced pigeon breeders often have problems with this, since there are no obvious sexual characteristics in males and females. But it is still possible to do this using different methods in combination.

Methods for determining gender

There are various ways in which over time you can learn to accurately determine the sex of pigeons:

The bird's appearance and body structure.
Behavioral factors.
Traditional methods.

The easiest way to distinguish a dove from a male is by behavior during the mating season. The pigeon behaves actively. He ruffles his feathers, spreads his tail and coos loudly as he chases the female, stepping and circling around her. If there is another male nearby, he can start a fight with him. The dove behaves calmer. If she accepts advances, she bows her head, lowers her tail and coos softly in response. And if she doesn’t like her partner, she avoids him.

Advice. You should not completely rely on traditional methods, since birds have different characters and temperaments. Therefore, pigeons can behave differently, which does not always depend on gender.

How to determine gender by external characteristics

The color of the female's plumage is calmer, and she herself is more graceful:

the body is smaller and lighter in weight;
the head is smaller;
the neck is longer;
the beak is thinner and narrower at the base.

But a lot here depends on the breed of pigeons. Males of some breeds may be smaller and more graceful than females.