There's a new redhead in town!

[Garye]

FINALLY a reddish-brown pigeon came into town! I've never seen one hang around here before. I've decided to name her Henrietta. I think it's a she. They say females sort of waddle when they walk and this one waddles when it walks so I guess it's a she.

She is the FIRST red-brown pigeon I've seen here in town!

Have a look:

[Victor]

Henrietta is a beauty indeed. Nice pictures Garye !

[feralpigeon]

Congrats Garye, I know what you mean about liking to have a little variety to look at in your flock...don't know what it is about one of my flocks, but it seems that when the babies pop out w/unusual markings, it isn't long before they take off and I find them at another location....but I do just love those "redheads"

fp

[Garye]

I'm just so excited to see one! FINALLY!

I'm in the midst of creating a website on the pigeons around here. I hope to have it done by the end of the month.

[cyro51]

Very beautiful....will this be the start of a change in the flock's colouring?

When I only had five pigeons and only two of them redbars, I read that the way to tell the male from the female was by the inkspots...black splashes as from a fountain pen on their feathers. I examined both my red bars carefully and sure enough, the male had a single inkspot, the female none!


That was five years ago and now he is covered in black splashes...I assume that they increase with age? None of my female red bars or red checkers have these marks.

Cynthia

[Garye]

I don't think Henrietta is going to allow me to get that close to find out if she/he has any spots but as far as I can see it doesn't.

Well I'm calling it a female anyways. I'll be on the lookout for any males "playing" up to her. If that happens, she DEFINITELY is a female.

Unless of course, there's some out there that prefer their own sex in which case, there's no way I'll be able to determine things!

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by cyro51

Very beautiful....will this be the start of a change in the flock's colouring?

When I only had five pigeons and only two of them redbars, I read that the way to tell the male from the female was by the inkspots...black splashes as from a fountain pen on their feathers. I examined both my red bars carefully and sure enough, the male had a single inkspot, the female none!

Cynthia

OMG, funny that you said that. I've often wondered why two red nest mates, (I got them from a friend when they were babies) have these splashy marks on them. I thought it was because they are brothers from the same clutch, named "Teddy & "Bear, but you are telling me it is because they are both boys and red! That is funny.

[cyro51]

Strange, isn't it. The book was just a slim little volume about the relationship between feral pigeons and people and was based on what the writer had observed among the feral pigeons in London. It probably wouldn't hold true in selective breeding of red pigeons.

I had a good look at all my red pigeons today and each of the males has at least one black splash... not always immediately visible, on one of them it was hidden on the wing. My new red squeaker, Chesney, also has one. I hope that he is male, because he will be released and I think that the boys do better. At least there is no danger of egg binding with the boys.

Cynthia

[Trees Gray]

Originally Posted by cyro51

I had a good look at all my red pigeons today and each of the males has at least one black splash... not always immediately visible, on one of them it was hidden on the wing. My new red squeaker, Chesney, also has one. I hope that he is male, because he will be released and I think that the boys do better. At least there is no danger of egg binding with the boys.

Cynthia

You know, Cynthia I was just thinking about that, I was wondering how many feral pigeons do you see that are female, over the age of three? It saddens me that they probably don't survive to live very long where they can't find the minerals and microminerals they need. Come to think of it, even with domestics, the oldest pigeon in the world was a male, wasn't it? I wonder how old the worlds oldest (laying) female pigeon is, in captivity? I guessing that would be either a hen that is not laying anymore, or seperated from the males.

[cyro51]

Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon was a female. And Droopy, the first hen that I identified when I first started feeding the ferals in 1999 is still there. But I scatter mineral grit, oyster grit and crumble mineral blocks for my flocks. I used to buy the corn that already had oyster shell grit in it. I didn't know what it was at the time and used to wonder why there was an accumulation of white stuff in the spots where I put down food regularly.

Do you know, I have read about the passenger pigeon several times, but have only just found out that the last shoot was a deliberate act of extermination?

Sorry...I am wandering from the subject of redheads.

Cynthia

[Keys & Eyegone]

Garye,
She's BEAUTIFUL!!!
She looks just like the one (of my 6 reds ) in my flock.
I"m sure with one in your flock there will be more to come!!
Hilary Dawn

[Garye]

Oh I hope there will be many more redheads. She's the first one I've seen so far around here. That's how rare they are. She was a pleasant surprise that day I first saw her. I couldn't believe it.