Help Me Defining their Gender and AGE

[roxi001]

i recently get a pair of diamond dove. i don't know which one is male and which one is female. can you please help me to identify their gender, and tell me if they are adult or not, or their probable age.
Thank you

[Atbird]

They both look female to me, but I'm no expert...

[MariusStegmann]

The one at the back looks like a male. The ring around his eye is very red. It all depends on how young they are. The one in the front could be a young male or a female. As they get older the ring around the male bird's eye get redder and also thicker. The female's eye ring stays orange. The adult male is also bigger than the female, but you will know for sure if you watch them. The male displays for the female and his whole tail lifts up like a fan.

[MiaCarter]

MariusStegmann has it right!

The eye ring is the easiest identifier on these guys. It will be redder and "fleshier" than a hen's.

Of the two in the photo, the one in the front looks more male (though if this bird is older, then it's likely a female.) It could be a young male or an adult female who just happens to have a fleshy eye ring. (Hard to tell if it's orange or more reddish.)
The one in the back appears female.

As for age, it's hard to know. Birds age really well. The only real way to tell is behavior (more mellow - tough to see this in an already mellow species like diamond doves!) And sometimes their legs will appear a bit older. Hard to explain. They will look a bit drier and "knottier".

In some more vocal species like hookbills, you can identify older individuals by the number of vocalizations. A young bird doesn't usually have many vocalizations or words, whereas a middle aged adult will have many more. (For instance, I got a cockatiel and he has lots of little songs and whistles so I know he's at least 18-24 months old, probably a bit older. It would be rare to see that many vocalizations in a 6 month old). But obviously, this method doesn't work for determining age on a dove.

[roxi001]

The male displays for the female and his whole tail lifts up like a fan.

is there any age condition to display its tail, such as after 3 month or later like that ??

[roxi001]

Thanks MiaCarter, i think i need to observe them carefully ....

[roxi001]

which one is what now ?? ..

[Atbird]

The one in the back looks female because she has a thin eye ring and a brown cast to her back. The one in the front might be male because of the thicker eye ring and the clear grey color on his back.

[roxi001]

thanks you Atbird...

[Sally]

I agree, in this second photo, the one in the front looks male and the one in the back looks like a hen. If you have a pair, the male should soon go into his courtship display. As MariuisStegmann said, the male will bow to the hen, spread out his tail like a big fan, and do his cooing song--you can't miss it.

[roxi001]

If you have a pair, the male should soon go into his courtship display. As MariuisStegmann said, the male will bow to the hen, spread out his tail like a big fan, and do his cooing song--you can't miss it.

i can't wait to see it....

[Sally]

Here is a video of the courtship behavior.

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=Ar ... t-700&fp=1

[Sally]

Oops, I thought I was linking just one video, but it linked my search. Oh well, you can pick from several videos.

[roxi001]

Oops, I thought I was linking just one video, but it linked my search. Oh well, you can pick from several videos.

Thank you very much Sally ..

[roxi001]

today i saw the pair mating twice, and i heard a little coo, but didn't saw any tail display.... :/ but i'm happy that they are pair ..