46 Carl Naether—Observations on Keeping Foreign Doves


for breeding and rearing Doves and Pigeons which presumably want

plentiful light and as much sunshine as possible. However, I am glad to

be able to report that such varieties as Bronzewings, Cape, Australian

Crested, Blue Ground, and Diamond Doves have without exception done

very well in the covered aviaries. As a matter of fact, even in these

already slightly dark places, they seek out the darkest corners in which

to nest and rear their youngsters, proving that foreign doves thrive in

the semi-dark seclusion of a covered aviary. I should add that the

pens face south and that their fronts get a good deal of sunshine during

the day, and there are comparatively few days in the year when we do

not get at least some sunshine in Southern California.


I have also had good success in breeding foreign Doves in an aviary

with the usual top of wire-netting, which aviary is planted with some

trees and much shrubbery. Bleeding-heart Doves seek the seclusion

which evergreen plants afford them the year round. Diamond Doves

prefer the fragile branches of a young cherry tree, which grows in the

aviary, to the customary nest-box. It is not at all difficult to keep the

trees and shrubs clean, since the entire aviary is thoroughly sprinkled

and watered once a week, at which time all the plants in it are washed

clean and fresh. At such times the Brush Bronze-wing and the Galapagos

Doves squat on the ground and spread one wing at a time to be sprinkled

with water. It is their way of taking the weekly bath ; I have never yet

seen them bathe in the special pan which is always available to them.


It requires considerable effort and patience to learn which varieties

of Doves are most likely to be suitable aviary companions for other

varieties. Of course, the ideal way to keep doves is perhaps to have a

separate pen for each pair, but lack of space forbids such an arrangement

so far as I am concerned. Perhaps the strangest combination which

I have in one pen consists of a pair of very prolific Australian Crested

Doves, a Venezuela Mocking Bird and a Troupial, all of which share

the branches of an orange tree for nesting and roosting purposes—a

small tree. These three different occupants get on famously with one

another. At first the “ Mocker ” was inclined to boss the others, but

it became soon apparent that the Crested Doves would stand no

nonsense from that quarter. The Doves and two birds have now been

together for more than six months and are completely reconciled to



