Wild Pigeons to the Birds in My Aviaries

WWIILLDD PPIIGGEEOONNSS IN THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM

Text and photos: Jan Willem Schrijvers (NL)

In our country there are 5 different pigeon species: the Rock Pigeon, the Common Wood Pigeon, the Stock Pigeon, the Eurasian Collared Dove and the Turtle Dove. These species are nice to keep and interesting to breed. Although we have to keep in mind that these are endangered species in Europe and we will have to adhere to the prescribed guidelines, meaning, to be kept and bred in captivity the birds must have a sealed leg ring and some species also need a Cites-document, issued by the land of origin. This is to prove they are not captured from nature but purchased in a legal way. Personally I breed all five of the mentioned species and in this article I would like to share my breeding experiences with you. All photos have been taken in my aviaries.

The Rock Pigeon Columba livia

This beautiful bird is seen as the ancestor of the domestic pigeons, including the homing pigeon. The original (pure) form is scarce due to interbreeding with feral ‘city’ pigeons, which in turn descend from stray fancy pigeons and homing pigeons. For this reason, one could question the rock pigeon to be a "native species". In the Netherlands; feral pigeons are often wrongly termed as Rock Pigeon.

The Rock Pigeon is slightly smaller than the average homing pigeons and has a shorter beak. Both cock and hen are bluish grey with two black bars on the wing.

Rock Pigeons have a wide range that includes the Mediterranean, Britain, parts of Eastern Europe and Asia, where they nest on rocky cliffs, usually on coasts. In Belgium it is a rare resident and in the Netherlands it is occasionally seen.

They often breed in groups or in close proximity to each other on steep cliffs. The same behavior is seen in feral pigeons and homing pigeons, which also like to nest close together in towers or other suitable places.

Search for food - also called foraging - they also do preferably in groups on the ground, where they search for seeds, berries, young shoots and plants. As a group they are safer from predators.

They make a flimsy nest, in which, per brood, two eggs are laid. The incubation is shared by both parents. When the young have hatched, both cock and hen will feed the young birds with regurgitated crop milk (also called pigeon milk) and later with pre-soaked feed from the crop.

When the cocks are courting the hens, they turn around the hen in circles with their tail feathers dragging on the floor and cooing all the time, until the hen is willing to mate and sits down. In the aviary it is not visible, but after mating the cocks fly high demarcating their territory with noisy clapping wings. Nice to see. We also see this behavior in the cocks of the homing pigeons, if they are in good shape. Before and after mating, we often see them preening each other and rubbing beaks.

In the aviary they are quiet birds, of which you can keep several couples together, provided there is enough space. If you want to keep more than one couple, then it is better to keep more than 2 couples. In case of 2 couples fighting, a third couple will often interfere and peace will quickly return. Every couple has its place in the rankings.

Legal status by national law: Annex B. We ring them with a sealed leg ring size 7 mm. (advised size)

The Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus

In most of Europe up to the middle of Scandinavia, the wood pigeon is a common bird in forests, parks, gardens and agricultural areas. The pigeons from the colder northern parts of Europe migrate in the winter to the south and then we see hundreds of them fly over the Netherlands and Belgium. These birds spend the winter with us in the Netherlands and partly in France, where they forage in the fields.

Above: Common Wood Pigeon. Photo: Dirk de Jong. In the Netherlands and in Belgium they are well distributed and abundant residents, that you can even find nesting in the cities and rearing their young with success there.

Common Wood Pigeon have a varied diet: grass and seeds, grain, buds of trees and bushes, young leaves, shoots of cabbage and other young shoots, berries, fruits, nuts, but they will also eat larvae and worms. Common Wood Pigeons that live in the cities also eat bread and scraps. They are beautiful to see and their cooing is nice to hear. They are basically grey birds, with a pinkish breast. The cock and the hen are almost alike, the male may be identified by its larger size and the larger white neck marking. Also the breast feathers of the male have a more purpleish sheen.

Right: Common Wood Pigeon. Photo: Dirk de Jong.

Common Wood Pigeons like to nest in old crows nests or make themselves a nest in trees and sometimes on ledges of buildings. They are sloppy looking nests, usually made by the cock. Common Wood Pigeons breed from March to late September. The clutch consists of 2 eggs and incubation lasts 16 to 17 days, both cock and hen incubate the eggs. After hatching, the cock and hen together rear their young, which fledge after 4 weeks. After fledging, they are usually fed for a while by the old birds. After the first moult the young are full colour and in the first year of age they are sexually mature.

Common Wood Pigeons pairs usually stay together for long a time. Outside the breeding season they live in larger groups but still find each other year after year. During the breeding season, we see often the cock flying up while cooing loudly and diving down again. This is a beautiful sight. Their sound is beautiful to hear and sounds like coo, coo, coo keroo. If the male is courting the hen, he dances around her bowing all the time and dragging his tail on the ground.

In the wild, there are over 500 000 breeding pairs in the Netherlands. Each year, thousands are shot as pests. The species is not threatened, although the numbers recede.

Even though Common Wood Pigeons are hardly ever kept in aviaries, they are nice birds to breed. In my aviaries I have a pair housed together with pheasants and they go very well together. They just eat the same feed as the pheasants, and I feed them some extra dove and homing pigeon feed. Furthermore, they like to eat a mealworm every now and then, also fruit and greens, same as the pheasants in the aviary.

Right: Two young in the nest box.

Below: A young Common Wood Pigeon, just fledged.

The youngsters of Common Wood Pigeons that have lived in captivity for several generations, remain quiet and tame in the aviary. They are tough birds of which a fancier can have many years of pleasure.

In The Netherlands, the Common Wood Pigeon is under protection of the ‘Flora and Fauna’ law. This means that the pigeons must be ringed with an approved leg ring. A sealed leg ring of 8 mm is advised.

Right: A pair of Common Wood Pigeons, nesting in a plant basket.

The Stock Pigeon Columba oenas

The Stock Pigeon is found in almost all of Europe and North Africa. Their habitat is the edges of woods, fields and sometimes in city parks. The species is not endangered, and in the Netherlands there are 50,000 to 70,000 breeding pairs in the wild. It is a beautiful and graceful dove that also in the wild can be observed more and more. Often we see them together with Common Wood Pigeons in larger groups foraging in fields and along the roads, looking for seeds, young shoots, flower buds and what else they find to eat. Like the Rock Dove, they are blue / gray coloured with 2 dark bars in the wings. Today they are increasingly kept in aviaries and breeding goes very well. Their sound is very nice to hear. It sounds like "whoo" followed by 4 x 'hoe'. In the aviary they like to nest in semi-open nest boxes, but an old milk can will do as well. They normally rear 3 broods per year and start in April with the first brood. The clutch consists of 2 eggs and the incubation period is 17 to 18 days. In their first year, the young obtain full colour plumage and are sexually mature.

They are housed per couple and go very well together with pheasants or partridges. I leave the top netting of the aviary overgrown with vines such as bridal veil, grapes and honeysuckle. They fly away quickly if they are frightened, with a great risk of injury. With the overgrown roof, the pigeons feel much safer and are less visible to birds of prey.

We feed them a varied pigeon mix, supplemented with P 40 pellets, grains, grit, red stone, egg food, universal food and greens. I also provide berries, etc., but I never have seen them eating that.

Also the Stock Pigeon is under protection of the ‘Flora and Fauna’ law. The advised leg ring size is 7mm. The Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Since the fifties of the last century the Eurasian Collared Dove has become indigenous. They originate from the Balkans, but now we see them all over Western Europe. Every year, the species increases in numbers in the wild. Now they are commonly seen and they are real culture followers. They feel at home in both urban and rural regions. In the wild, and around our house I watch the males in the mating season fly up high and then come flying down in a nice glide, calling loudly. This is always nice to see.

I use to feed them a little birdfood daily and often they sit waiting for me for a few handfuls of the dove feed. The advantage for me is that I can also treat the wild doves against worms and other diseases and thus fewer diseases are transmitted from the wild pigeons to the birds in my aviaries. This also applies to the wood pigeons that breed in and around my garden in the wild. They too are waiting for some food, although they keep their distance.

Eurasian Collared Doves are not commonly kept in aviaries, but this is very well possible, although they will never become as tame as the Barbary (Ringneck) Doves. They prefer a spacious aviary with a proper loft for the night.

Left: An Eurasian Collared Dove nesting in a Monkey Tail Tree. Photo: Archief AE.

Both in nature and in the aviary they make a messy nest of twigs, where they lay two eggs. The incubation period is 16 days. They care for their young very well and are easy to keep in good health with dove feed, supplemented with some egg food and universal food.

Already in their first year the young doves obtain full colour plumage and are sexually mature. In the Eurasian Collared Doves the males and the females look alike. They are nice doves to breed and after a few generations in captivity they become quite tame and confident.

These doves must have a sealed leg ring; 6 mm is the advised size.

The Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur

The Turtle Dove is a dove that every winter migrates from our country to the south (Africa) to overwinter. In the spring they return to breed here. We find them along forest edges and in park-like areas.

This dove species is quite shy but gives away its presence by its special cooing.

Fortunately we see them more and more in the wild, thanks to the people who deal with small-scale landscaping and bring back natural fences again through hedges in the countryside and so create a suitable habitat for this cute dove.

In the aviary its shyness is not too bad and in a large aviary with good loft they will easily start to breed. The care is the same as for the other doves. A pair can very well be kept together with smaller birds. It is a beautiful and graceful bird to see. Cock and hen look almost the same.

This species is covered by CITES - status A - and both a foot ring and a cites certificate are required. The advised ring size is 6 mm.

Left: A young Turtle Dove.

Below: A young Turtle Dove, just fledged.

To end with

Anyone who wants to keep living beings, must keep in mind that you also have a duty of care. They are dependent on their carer. These pigeons/doves need good housing. Every day you must provide adequate, clean water and good food. Each species has its own specific requirements.

Good healthy food, adequate housing, good hygiene and the prevention of stress prevents much misery in our birds. When a bird looks ill, I immediately put it in a separate cage and give it rest and warmth. If the bird is really sick I use regular medicines prescribed by a qualified veterinarian who has a good affinity with birds. This takes time and money. So please keep this in mind before you purchase any pigeons or other animals.

See also http://parkvogeltuin.come2me.nl/ (In Dutch language, but with lots of photos)