by Lara Jackson

Created on: November 24, 2009   Last Updated: November 25, 2009

I've kept many pet birds, from tiny finches to large macaws, and among them, doves. Doves are unique among pet birds. In some ways, they're pet birds on "easy mode." They don't screech, they don't bite, and even parent-raised aviary birds are often tame. Their diet is fairly simple, they can be kept in a wide variety of cages and aviaries, and they breed readily - sometimes too readily! They're the only pet bird that I can whole-heartedly recommend as pets for pre-teen kids, because they're so easily tamed, gentle and easy to handle. Doves also make among the best aviary birds, especially for mixed aviaries, because they're almost completely non-aggressive to other species.

There are two readily available pet doves. I've kept both, and each has their pros and cons. The best-known and most common dove is the ring-necked dove. They're also quite inexpensive, as little as $10 a bird and not often more than $30. These are the classic white magician's dove, but the wild coloration is actually tan in color, and there are dozens of other colors and varieties as well - even a curly-feathered version! They're mid-sized ("dove-sized") birds. They do need good-sized cages, ideally large enough to fly around in, or at least 3'-4' long. If this isn't possible, smaller cages are okay so long as the doves get out on a regular basis to stretch their wings. Although they don't make extreme-volume high-pitched sounds like so many parrots do, male ring-necked do have a low-pitched coo they like to hear themselves make... a lot. In some cases, male ring-necks will coo almost constantly during daylight hours. Some people find this obnoxious. If noise is an issue, female doves are the way to go - they make much less noise overall and the noise they do make is softer.

Ring-necks are calm, gentle birds, and can be easily tamed if they're accustomed to people from a young age. Even adult aviary birds can be tamed with a little patience. Some birds are very affectionate towards their owners, and males often try to court and woo their human family. They're easy to handle - tame doves can be grasped and picked up without stress - and easy to keep.

The other common pet doves are the diamond doves. These are tiny doves, the smallest doves available in captivity, about the size of a sparrow. They've been steadily rising in popularity in recent years, and going down in price, but they're still a bit pricier than ring-necks at around $25-$50 per bird. They don't need cages so large as ring-necks

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