Features of wild pigeons

Wild pigeons are birds that are appreciated by hunters for delicate dietary meat. These birds are extremely hardy, because they used to use pigeon mail for a reason.

Wild pigeons

Wild pigeons are considered a symbol of peace. These birds were tamed about 5000 years ago. There are several by wild pigeons that are worth considering in more detail (their name, lifestyle, etc.).

Large breed

Vakhir is one of the largest representatives of the pigeon family A large pigeon lives in the countries of Europe. This breed is also called Vitutyen. In the wild, these individuals settle in the forest strip. Wild forest pigeon has a body length of 40 cm, a tail of about 15 cm, its average weight is 600 g.

This breed has a beautiful gray-gray feather with brown spots in the spine. The chest and neck are covered with red-gray feathers. The beak is pink. Turtle dove has a similar color. Often, representatives of the species can be found in countries such as Turkey, Iran, Iraq, the Himalayas, Moldova, Transcaucasia.

Photos of these pigeons are simply mesmerizing with their beauty. Families of pigeons look especially cute. They hatch and care for offspring together. Initially, the chicks feed on a special food that is produced in adult birds and is called bird milk. As they grow up, the chicks switch to plant food. There is plenty of food in the forest.

In the wild, there is always a danger of being caught by a marten, fox or other predator, so animals have to be very careful. Among hunters, this bird is also a very valuable specimen. Tender meat is most valued in untamed pigeons.

Breeds of gray-winged birds

The color of the plumage of this representative determined its name. The blue-winged wild dove is distinguished by more elongated wings than the turtledove, but their feathers are of the same color. This species is not very large in comparison with Vyakhir.

In the wild, mainly hilly areas are selected for housing, although they are rarely found in forests, in rare cases – even in Russian forest parks. The diet of birds is made up of crops and seeds. In cities, they often hang feeders in parks and schools. In the photo, the birds look simply incomparable.

Steppe breed

Streptopelia is one of the most elegant breeds of pigeons. In the natural environment are found in the steppe and forest belt of Ukraine, Moldova, in the southern part of Europe. The mass of the neck is about 200 g, and the length of the body is a maximum of 27 cm.Inside the species, 18 species are distinguished. The most common:

• laughing dove;
• ringed;
• Chinese spotted;
• African.

The laughing dove earned its name for a voice resembling a human laugh. The feather shade of this feathery is light fawn, with a dark semicircle on the outside of the neck. The habitat is the African continent and the southwestern part of Asia.

For the ringed throat, a characteristic place for nesting is part of Russia, bordering Europe, the southwestern zone of Europe and partly Africa. The color of the feathers is gray-brown on the back with a pink on the neck and in the chest area. There is a white semicircle on the neck. The Chinese spotted turtledove at first lived only in Asia, but was later transported to the Australian and American continents.

It is distinguished by a light brown shade of feathers throughout the body and a gray head. Around the eye sockets are red circles, and on the neck is black with a white collar. People often ask how many of these birds live. At home, if you tame the turtleneck and create all the necessary conditions, its age can reach 15 years, and in the wild, life expectancy is only 6 years.

Crowned

Crowned pigeons live in New Guinea. For living, choose a hot, humid climate. They are a rare species due to uncontrolled hunting. They got their name for the crest, which is dissolved on the bird’s head with a translucent blue fan.

The wide long tail is slightly rounded. The color of the plumage is blue. By its size, the bird resembles a small turkey, its weight is 1.5-2 kg, its length is 70 cm. During the breeding season, the female lays one egg, which they and the male hatch in turn for 30 days.

Forest species

The forest gray representative of the species was first seen in Indonesia. Range – mangroves. Nesting occurs in March-April. Nest birds equip on the trees. They boast silver-gray feathers. The wings are edged with a black border, feathers of greenish tones on the back of the neck.

The rocky dove is quite similar in appearance to the gray-winged representative of the genus. It is distinguished by a lighter tone of tail plumage and a dark beak. Representatives of the species are much smaller than other counterparts. They live in the mountainous regions of Tibet, Korea, Altai. Most often, two in a gorge of rocks or on abandoned construction sites. The white-breasted pigeon is similar in appearance to the rocky representative of the species. It differs only in lighter tones in the color of the feathers.

Klintuh

The wild pigeon Klintuh comes mostly in the forest regions of Kazakhstan, in China forests, Turkish forests, Africa and even Siberia. The pigeons are distinguished by a bright plumage, giving off a blue, turning into a malachite shade on the neck, feathers on the wings are gray, the tail with dark stripes.

If you compare photos of wild doves of different species , you may notice that in size Klintukh is not as large as Vyakhir, but larger than Gorlitsa.

You can read the description of various pigeon breeds for a very long time, but you even want to admire these birds, their grace. Each species is interesting and beautiful in its own way.

Features of behavior and diet

Wild pigeons in the wild are incredibly attentive.Extremely cautious birds behave during the laying and hatching of eggs. Seeing or hearing any beast, they immediately calm down and camouflage themselves in the foliage of trees. Most often settle in areas with moderate climatic conditions. Based on these features, they can lead a different lifestyle:

• nomadic;
• partially nomadic;
• sedentary.

Often, birds leading a sedentary lifestyle are found in the southern regions of states, migratory – in areas with more severe climates. The diet includes crops, seeds of cones, acorns. Often wild flocks of pigeons fly into the fields with cereals and enclose the tops of plants. They also like to fly to freshly harvested fields with a sufficient amount of food.

Most often birds arrange their nests right in the frequent branches of large trees. They may occupy the empty nest of another bird, for example, jays. The pigeon nestles the breeding ground carelessly. Often the female lays 2 eggs. As a rule, during the summer season, the family of pigeons reproduces offspring 2 times. The untamed pigeon is considered a field bird, although it most often nests on trees.

Pigeon hunting

In general, pigeon hunting is a rather interesting activity, which is one of the sports. They hunt birds on the grease on harvested fields using the method of hiding, when you need to keep all your senses in suspense and calculate even the smallest steps, because any sound will frighten away the prey.It is necessary to creep up to pigeons on feeding. The ideal option is to start the hunt in the early morning.

It was at this time that hunger was so strong that the bird was ready to let the enemy get as close to it as possible. Often, hunting is carried out in oak forests, because, in addition to cereal crops, birds have great weakness for acorns. As a rule, pigeon flocks choose the same places of fattening, so it is not difficult to track them. The main thing in this hunt is to camouflage well.

As a rule, the best game comes across before departure. By this time, the bird becomes fat and heavy, its plumage is glossy and velvety. At such a time, shooting a pigeon is a pride for a hunter.

But not all pigeons can be eaten. For example, pigeons that live on city streets cannot be eaten: it is so easy to poison yourself.

What to cook from pigeon carcasses

Often, pigeons are kept at home for an exquisite delicacy. The meat of a large pigeon is an extremely valuable dish in France. The taste is sweetish meat, very rich in proteins and vitamins. It is used to prevent and treat anemia.

A domestic pigeon must be properly gutted and thoroughly examined before cooking. If the goiter is black, you should get rid of the carcass immediately.

Before cooking any dish, the meat is soaked in water or kefir to soften it. The most common cooking method is baking.Pigeon carcasses are served with various sauces, side dishes of vegetables, fruits, mushrooms.

There are a lot of methods for preparing poultry. If you don’t know how to cook a domestic pigeon, you can use the Internet.

Why it is not recommended to eat street birds

Very often people ask whether wild birds can be eaten, in particular, pigeons. Doctors respond negatively. If you really wanted to taste delicious meat, it is better to purchase it in a specialized farm, where pigeons are brought out specifically for food and for sale. There, birds eat balanced, wholesome food. If you buy at the market from an unverified seller, you can get poisoned with carcass meat.

Why is the meat of street pigeons so harmful? The more harmful the food the birds consume, the sooner they start to get sick and the shorter their life. In the conditions of the city, pigeons feed mainly on slop and live 3 years, while in a private household the life expectancy of birds is 15 years.