The diamond turtledove is a representative of the genus of striped turtledoves, in which all small long-tailed pigeons are collected. In the wild, they are especially common in Australia and Southeast Asia. They prefer to settle in open spaces. Favorite food is plant seeds. They arrange for themselves an unattractive nest of twigs and dry grass and lay no more than two eggs in it. Further in the article it will be described in detail about the features of breeding and maintenance of diamond doves.
Short description
The pigeon family includes many different species and subspecies of pigeons. The diamond neck in this family is considered its smallest representative. An adult does not grow longer than twenty-one centimeters. And the most interesting thing is that most of this length is the tail. The male and the female are very similar to each other, but they cannot be confused, since the female has more brown tones in her coloration, and the rings around her eyes have a less saturated color than males. In the natural environment, this species can be found in large numbers in Western, Northern and Central Australia. But if the year is dry, then the turtle-throats move to the southern part of the mainland.
Colors of doves
Some may argue that Streptopelia do not have a beautiful color and that in general they are all the same. Maybe about some birds you can say so, but definitely not about the doves. Yes, in their color there are no bright colors that would immediately attract attention, but here there are all shades of fawn, gray, beige, brown, gray, sand, white, and not just a plain color, but all kinds of combinations with various “patterns”.
Life in captivity
Now these birds are already fully domesticated. After all, they are unpretentious and small in size, their character is calm and peaceful, in addition, they do not have conflicts with other birds that can live with them in the neighborhood. Now these birds have gained popularity around the world. It is convenient to keep them in the apartment, because they do not create a lot of noise and behave absolutely calmly, singing a diamond neck is not annoying and is not too intrusive.
If you make a little effort in raising the bird, and also provide it with good care, then over time it will become not only home, but also completely manual. The turtledove is perfect for a novice in this business, who has never encountered a bird keeping at home.
Before acquiring a dove, you should learn about some of their features. One of their favorite activities is to stomp along the bottom of the cage. In this regard, it is not recommended to buy apartments for her with a trellised bottom. The bird in the cage will feel especially good, the size of which will be from sixty to eighty centimeters in length, not more than sixty centimeters in height and about forty centimeters in width. It is also worth paying attention to that males that end up in the same cage, and even in the presence of the female, will become aggressive towards each other, so one pair of birds can be placed in the same cage. A nest for chicks can be purchased independently - a nest-bowl, which is used when breeding canaries. But you can give the birds the opportunity to build it on their own. For this, grass and small twigs are laid on the bottom of the cell.
How to equip cages and aviaries
We have already mentioned the size of the cage for the diamond neck, the nose is worth paying attention to, that cage alone is not enough. It is imperative to place a lot of perches with a diameter of about ninety centimeters, as well as shelves.
For those who prefer to keep birds not in cages, but in free cages, it is important to know that doves will get along well with other birds, but certainly small breeds. At the beginning of the article it was said that two pairs of doves did not get along in one cage, but in one enclosure they would be quite comfortable. But here we should take into account the fact that they will then multiply much more slowly.
Streptopelia are a big fan of the sun and water. Even in the wild, representatives of this species do not hide in the shade during the onset of great heat. They like to take sun baths, are located on hot sand, despite the fact that its temperature can reach seventy degrees. In the same sand, they are happy to bathe, so you can not put swims in the cage and aviary. It is better to replace it with a sand tray. And if the birds live in a cage, then its bottom can be completely made sandy.
Streptopelia have one serious superiority over parrots and Amadins - they are not such noisy birds, therefore they are ideal for keeping in a city apartment.
Menu
At home, diamond turtledoves feed on a variety of small grain feeds. This can be millet, poppy, hemp and much more. Also, they will not abandon the seeds of some weed grass, they enjoy fresh green with pleasure. During the period when parents feed their chicks, egg food should be given. One adult should eat at least one and a half teaspoons of grain feed per day .
The most favorite dish for doves is poppy. When the breeding season begins, the birds should be given germinated wheat, which will positively affect future offspring. Diamond turtledoves need constant access to coarse sand and mineral additives. Many birds are hung with mineral stone or sepia, they will not need them, they are too hard for them.
Bear in mind that, like parrots and amadins, they have swallowed all the grains and do not peel them. Because of this, a large amount of debris accumulates in the cell quite quickly.
It can be seen from this section that the question of how to feed a diamond necklace should not be a problem. After all, these birds do not require the preparation of any special dishes, but are content with the same thing as parrots and amadins.
How to determine the gender
Perhaps no one can determine the sex of the neck of the neck. There are some features in the color, but rely on shades is not worth it. There are several distinguishing features, but the owner will have to try to determine the gender of his bird from them.
- You should take the bird "column" and feel its pelvic bones. In a female, they should be a little softer than in a male, but this difference can be quite difficult to catch.
- You can listen to cooing, but it will not give a 100% result, because the females very skillfully parody males.
- You can observe the bows of birds. After all, it is customary for these birds to have the male bow to the female. But here you can get into trouble, because many females bow in response.
None of these methods can give an absolute guarantee.
Propagation Features
Streptopeliaidae not later than one year old are allowed to reproduce. If there is such an opportunity, then it is worth observing the current behavior of males. They open the feathers on the tail in such a way that they get a kind of fan, then he lifts it up, and at this time his head bends in the direction where the female is. And at the same time the male makes characteristic sounds.
As already mentioned, the diamond neck is laying two small eggs, of which on the fifteenth day after the onset of hatching, chicks appear. They grow up quite quickly and ten days after their birth they already freely leave the nest, and two weeks later they are even able to independently get their own food. While the chicks are growing up, the female is preparing to become a mother again. And the male, realizing this, begins to pursue his already matured children. Therefore, by this time, the chicks from the parents should already be jailed.
Until the chicks have reached puberty, they can be kept in a common cage or aviary.
Strengths of Streptopelia
The advantages of these birds can be considered indefinitely, but the most important ones that attract breeders are worth highlighting:
- The article has repeatedly noted that these are unpretentious birds that agree to almost any food and rarely get sick.
- These birds reproduce quite easily and quickly. Streptopelia is a very caring mother who patiently hatches eggs and then looks after her chicks. You can even plant someone else’s doves and she will take him for her own.
- These birds are resistant to stress and have a calm character.
- They equally well take root in the conditions of the cell and the aviary.
- They can live not only at home, but also on the street. Individuals were recorded that calmly endured the winter in southern Russia.
- Streptopelia quickly get used to hands, they can even be trained, if you show enough patience. Particularly attached to the owner are those individuals that were born at home, since from their very birth they were next to a person.
- Streptopelia can safely be called a thrifty bird, since it does not spoil property either in the cage or outside it. They also have no habit of scattering garbage, and they eat grains with husk.
- These birds can be kept in a house where there are small children, because they are not aggressive and do not peck others, even strangers.
Some flaws
The downsides of the dovesnuts are much less than the advantages, and they can literally be counted on the fingers.
So, if you scare a mustache very much, then it can begin to beat against the cell walls and this condition continues for a rather long time. As a result, the bird can cripple itself. The same situation can happen outside the cage when a bird is released to fly around the apartment. Moreover, there are already many more dangers awaiting her.
Although the doves are called not too noisy birds, they like to coo, it turns out that they are quite loud. But these sounds do not irritate your hearing, but rather are quite sweet. But if you have a sensitive dream or just can not stand loud sounds, then it is better to choose a quieter pet for yourself.
Owner opinions
About diamond doves, reviews are often left positive. Many say that the birds delight her with their singing every morning. However, some draw the attention of breeders to the fact that it is better not to litter the other with birds, since they will offend this baby. And at the neck of her own neck, the character is so calm and friendly that she cannot even answer her pugnacious neighbors.
In general, everyone considers these birds to be excellent pets. The only thing that upsets those who decided to become a breeder is the difficulty in determining sex.
Conclusion
The article presented a description and a photo of diamond doves, as well as talked about everything that might interest a novice poultry farmer. As you can see, these are very friendly and unpretentious birds that are perfect for keeping in an apartment. Reviews of diamond doves also suggest that it’s worth buying this bird, as it will not bring much trouble.