In the animal kingdom, a male has to show that it’s superior to other males in order to gain the female’s approval and have a chance to mate with her. So when a male diamond dove starts pecking the female it’s understandable to be concerned and ask why does this happen. This article looks into why your male diamond dove is pecking the female 

A male diamond dove pecking a female diamond dove is part of their courting ritual and this is very normal. That being said, this pecking should not injure the female. Alternatively, he may peck at her to request to have a turn to sit on their eggs 

Male diamond dove pecking female, why and what to do

Generally, in the animal kingdom, you would expect the male animals to come to blows with each other to get the attention of the female dove. One wouldn’t expect a male to harass a female diamond dove by pecking at her, this seems counterintuitive, so what is really going on?

A male diamond dove may peck at a female as part of the courtship ritual, which is normal and happens occasionally. On the other hand, if the pecks become violent and injury results, it may lead to the loss of the female bird.

A male diamond dove may peck at a female to assert its authority or as a stress relief measure. A male dove gets stressed when it perceives that the female is not laying eggs. This kind of stress lasts a short while, but it may be a good idea to let the couple have a nest of their own for some time to improve their bonding.

An additional reason for such aggressive behaviour could be that the male dove may be “asking” for a turn to sit on the eggs

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How to stop and prevent the pecking 

The first step to avoid any further injury to the female bird is to separate the two. Then attend to the injuries of the female bird if any. After this, optimize the birds’ living conditions by providing all that the doves would get in the wild especially water and food. 

Can diamond doves be tamed?

Yes, diamond doves can be tamed. A good way to tame a diamond dove is to examine its behaviour and encourage tame habits. Reward training through the use of bird food, this helps to reinforce tame bird behaviour. For example, you may give the dove birdseed and keep a distance as it eats the seed. Keep doing this periodically within the day and for about a week, while observing the dove. If it keeps coming closer to you in expectation of the bird-seed you are gaining its trust. It might even peck at the birdseed directly from your hand. 

How can you tell if a diamond dove is male or female?

The quickest way to determine the gender of a diamond dove is to look at the orange mark surrounding its eye. Males have a bigger orange circle than females. Males are also usually larger than the females especially in the neck area which accounts for their female attracting coos.

Another approach to determine a diamond dove’s gender is their behaviour. Males are more likely to coo and bend their heads in bowing gestures than are females. The latter approach is easiest to use because it does not require observing both gender birds at the same time.

Finally, there is an approach that is invasive though it does not harm the doves. Hold the bird upright in one hand and feel its pubic bones with the other hand. If your fingers pass over the skeleton of the bird and the bones feel rigid, that is a male. However, if your fingers almost sink in the skeleton of the dove, and the bones are flexible, then that is a female dove. This technique works most of the time. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, wondering why a male diamond dove pecks a female diamond dove is understandable but you should not be worried if he is not injuring her, this is a part of their courtship ritual. Other cases where he may peck at her is when he’s requesting a turn to sit on the eggs, to assert his authority or to relieve stress.

If he is hurting her you can separate the two. To differentiate between the male and female check the orange circle around the eye, the male’s circle is larger than the females. 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in:  What do baby doves eat? All you need to know, Do doves coo at night?, Diamond dove illnesses that you should look out for, Do female doves bow and coo?, What do baby collared doves eat?