13 Facts On Female Pigeon: Identify, Behaviours, Abilities, FAQs

Saif Ali

13 Facts On Female Pigeon: Identify, Behaviours, Abilities, FAQs

This article will concentrate primarily on the features of female pigeons and numerous related facts around it.

Female pigeons are also called Hens. A female pigeon which is under a year old are called Young Hens. People usually get confuse between male and female pigeon as both of them incubate eggs and also produces the crop milk to nourish their squabs.

If we talk about female pigeon, one cannot easily determine its gender in a first sight. So without further delay, let us explore more about female pigeons and how we can identify them.

How to identify female pigeon ?

It can be difficult to determine the gender of a pigeon, especially if you’re just beginning out. The female pigeon can be identified using a variety of techniques.

Here are some physical characteristics by which one can easily determine the female pigeon.

  • The heads of female pigeons are often flattened compared to male pigeons.
  • Round eyes are characteristic of female pigeons.
  • In contrast to the front fingers, the side fingers of a female pigeon are shorter. Males have side fingers that are the same size as their front fingers.
  • The majority of the day is spent by the females incubating the eggs, whereas the males only spend a few hours doing so.
  • The vent margins of females are larger than those of males, according to a scientific study. The vent margins of the females are oval in shape, with an outward expansion on both the upper and lower sides.
  • None of the approaches listed above can guarantee outcomes that are completely accurate. Only a DNA testing system can provide an entirely accurate result to identify pigeon gender.

Female pigeons types

There are many types of pigeons. Each type of pigeon has both gender, male or female.

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Depending upon the type, some pigeons are listed below:

Pigeon TypesCharacteristics
Ice PigeonThis pigeon is a gorgeous bird which is distinguished by its ice-blue colouring.
FanTail PigeonThey are distinguished by a fan-shaped tail with 30 to 40 feathers.
Pouter PigeonThey are valued for their unique looks and kept as decorative or fancy breeds.
Jacobin PigeonThe breed is distinguished by the hood of feathers on its head.
Helmet PigeonThere are variants of this breed with simple heads, short faces, and crested heads.
Nicobar PigeonIts 40 cm size makes it slightly bigger than ordinary pigeons, and its upperparts have a shining metallic blue-green and copper-bronze colour on a dark slaty grey body.
Rock PigeonIt has a head, neck, and chest that are all dark bluish-grey, and its neck and wing feathers have glossy yellowish, greenish, and reddish-purple sparkle.
Pheasant PigeonWith its rounded wings and laterally compressed tail, the pheasant pigeon’s exterior morphology most closely resembles that of a pheasant.
Female pigeons types

Female pigeon sound

This is quite obvious that birds including female pigeons makes sound. Let us find out what type of sounds they make.

Female pigeons typically produce cooing and grunting sound. Considering that pigeons coo for a variety of reasons, female pigeons also coo, but considerably less frequently than male pigeons. The assumption is that males coo more, especially during mating season, in an effort to lure females.

Do female pigeon make noise ?

Female pigeon make noise by cooing. Both male and female pigeons make different noise to communicate with each other. But in reality, the male ones coo more than females. Male pigeons produce different sounds during mating or to attract female pigeon and also to defend their territory.

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Female pigeon behavior

Female pigeons shows different kind of behavior depending upon the situations. Let us find out.

Image Credits : Rock Pigeon Courting by Aomorikuma is licensed under CC-BY-3.0
  • On the nestsite, the pair’s members cuddle each other, especially the female in the beginning when she joins the male at his chosen location. 
  • If female pigeon partner is wounded or gone, she would typically pair up with any available male right away.
  • If her own mate is not physically active, she may leave him and, even if she does not, he will let another male to serve her.

Female pigeon names

People are very passionate about their pets. Even when it comes to calling out their birds, particularly pigeons, people use a variety of names.

A list of names for female pigeon are given below:

  • Tweety
  • Twinkle
  • Valentina
  • Venus
  • Viola
  • Vroni
  • Willow
  • Wanda
  • Xena
  • Sweet Pea
  • Sophie
  • Sasha
  • Sarah
  • Ruby
  • Luna
  • Lily
  • Kikki
  • Jennie

Female pigeon color

It is of no doubt that male pigeons have more vibrant colors than female. Let us find out what colors do female pigeons have.

Female pigeons color depends on the allele. The majority of colors are present in a single gene, also called color gene. It is found on Z chromosome. Blue, Brown, and Ash-Red are the three alleles, or variants, of the color gene according to Scientific research by Shiparo.

Melanin-containing pigment molecules give feathers their color. The color of each form of melanin black, brown, or red which is determined by several subunit types. Ash-red pigeons produce predominantly red melanin, brown pigeons mostly brown, and blue pigeons mostly black melanin.

Male vs female pigeon color

Three different alleles, or variations, of the color gene exist in pigeons: “blue,” “brown,” and “ash-red.” Depending upon these alleles, the color of pigeons is determined.

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Male Pigeon ColorFemale Pigeon Color
For color, males have two alleles.Females only have one color allele.
The allele that is more prevalent between the two determines the color of their feathers.Their feather color is determined by whatever the allele is copied.
Male pigeons have two Z chromosomes since they have two copies of color gene.The color gene is only present in one copy in female pigeons since they only have one Z chromosome and one W chromosome.
Male pigeon is typically more colorful because of the two copies of color gene.Female pigeons are usually less colorful  due to presence of single copy of color gene.
The metallic color is more prominent in male pigeons.They are usually devoid of metallic coloration.
Male pigeons feathers may contain rainbow colored all overA female pigeon often only has, brown , grey and white tone.
Male vs female pigeon color

Male vs Female Pigeon

Some points are given below that differentiates male pigeon from female pigeon.

Female PigeonMale Pigeon
Body SizeFemales Pigeon are thin and short.Male Pigeons are larger.
Sound makingFemales Pigeons peep and squeak moreMale Pigeons coo more.
IncubationFemale pigeons incubate eggs in the afternoon and at night.Incubation of eggs typically takes place in the morning by males.
Claw sizeA female’s side claw is intended to be shorter than her front claw.The side claw of a male pigeon is same length as the other claws.
Male vs Female Pigeon

Do female pigeons fight ?

Though, pigeons shows the symbol of peace, female pigeons exhibit fighting nature in certain conditions. Let us find out.

Female pigeons fight by flapping or slapping each other with their wings up above their bodies. The aggression is one of the instinct feature of all birds including female pigeon. Males and females who are mating partners frequently turn aggressive over seemingly minor issues.

Do female pigeons dance?

Birds usually perform dance to impress their partner or to make bond with them. Let us find out about female pigeon dance activity.

Female pigeons do not dance; typically, a male approaches a female and begins fanning his tail and dancing about her while the female is busy eating or minding her own business.

Do female pigeons bow?

Pigeons do various movements to express their feeling. Let us learn more about their gestures.

In general, female pigeons do not bow. While Male pigeons “bow and scrape,” bowing their heads and scrubbing their tail feathers on the ground, during mating. This behaviour is natural and occurs during mating.

Are female pigeons aggressive ?

Birds can be aggressive depending upon their mood. Let us discover about the nature of female pigeons.

Paul et al., 1958 conducted a study and found females are not as aggressive as males despite the fact that food competition is intended to induce aggression in pigeons. Pigeons show aggression during pairing and breeding season while females are more docile during breeding.

Are female pigeon bigger than males ?

Body size varies in pigeon which makes gender differentiation easy. Let us find out who is more big in size.

Male pigeons are usually larger than female pigeons. However, some male pigeons are typically smaller than female in several breeds, including the Racing Homer, Turkish Tumbler, and Rock Pigeon.

Animals usually show sensual size dimorphism (SSD), which is characterized as a phenotypic difference between males and females of a species. But it does not completely suit for everyone because there are still so many exceptions.

Conclusion

To sum up, we can say that female pigeons have unique features that make it simple to differentiates them from males. Female pigeons are calm and use a variety of gestures to communicate their emotions. Pigeons are a good choice if you’re considering getting a bird as a pet.

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