Doves
Gentle and quiet next to a parrot, and the cooing is most of what you hear. Doves pair up, and both parents feed the young on crop milk.
Overview
Ringneck and diamond doves are among the calmest birds kept, around 100 to 180 g, and they are the answer for someone who wants a bird in the room rather than a bird on the hand. The sound is a repeated soft coo, low enough to be background rather than event.
They are not parrots and they do not behave like them. A dove does not chew furniture, does not scream, does not learn words, and does not need a cage full of destructible toys.
Temperament
Placid and easily startled, which is an odd combination and worth planning around. Doves are calm about routine and panic at sudden movement, and a panicking dove flies straight up into whatever is above it.
They are sociable and generally live better in pairs. A bonded pair coos to each other through the day, preens each other and breeds readily, so anyone who does not want eggs should keep same sex birds or replace eggs with dummies.
Care and grooming
A dove and pigeon seed mix with greens, grit and a calcium source. Doves eat off the ground rather than from a hanging bowl, so a shallow open dish suits them better than a parrot feeder.
They bathe enthusiastically and need a shallow dish of water for it a few times a week. Nails and beak generally look after themselves given rough perches, which is one of several ways they are less work than a parrot.
Living and exercise
24 by 24 by 24 inches for a pair, and width matters more than height because they fly horizontally. A padded or solid top helps, because the startle flight goes upward.
They do well in an aviary and they do well in a living room. Ten to fifteen years is the usual span, which is long enough to matter and short of the multi decade commitment a parrot represents.
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