196 Carl Naether—Nesting Notes on Bronze-wing Pigeons


Thinking that the birds would do better if placed by themselves,

I transferred them to a small pen on 16th February. Here they

started nesting the following day and soon the hen laid her fourth

setting of eggs. Still she would not sit on them. Not until the

fifth setting of eggs was deposited-—on 18th March—did the birds

incubate. On 2nd April, one young was hatched, the other egg

containing a chick improperly developed. For twelve days the

old birds sat tightly on the nest, taking excellent care of their

only youngster. Then they began to seek another nesting site. I

placed the half-starved youngster under a pair of pigeons which

fed him pigeon milk so that he soon recovered, gaining strength

and growing noticeably every day. On the fourth day, however,

I found him dead in the nest, his well-feathered little body still

warm and his crop well-filled. The man who had assured me

that the infertility of the Bronze-wings’ eggs was due to their

being a nest pair, now informed me that the same trouble-

in breeding—was responsible for the death of the young bird, no

doubt, a weakling.


Late in May the birds built again—this time an elaborate nest

—well-rounded and solid. Both eggs that were soon laid, hatched,

though one young died soon afterwards. Faithfully, the old birds

have been hovering over their young now for slightly more than

two weeks. Yesterday (14th June) morning I found the young

Bronze-wing, well-feathered and almost full-grown, on the ground

begging his parents for food. They, however, instead of paying

attention to their hungry offspring, were calling to each other

devotedly. After placing the young bird whose crop was empty

back into the nest, I separated the parents in the hope of seeing

their youngster fed until he is able to feed himself. If need be,

I shall hand-feed the young fellow rather than risk losing him

at his age.


The behaviour of the Bronze-wing Pigeons described in the

foregoing paragraphs is, I have observed, more or less typical

of many other kinds of doves. Thus far, only the African

Triangular-spotted Pigeons, the Rufous-wing, and the Diamond

Doves have reared their young successfully to maturity. If any



