"The Girls"
Barbary Dove
Acquired: Breeder (non-professional, hobby breeder)
Gender: Female
Loved my Ring-Necked Turtle Doves
These were the best birds I've had the pleasure of dealing with. I took care of them over the summer for a little over four moths while their owner's farm had to be completely renovated after a pretty nasty flood.
The Girls were awesome! I loved taking care of them. They were mellow, docile, talkative, inquisitive. They never bit/pecked me or even attempted to. They were calm with new people who didn't wake their arms around and simply scattered like their pigeon relatives only to slowly return when some wise guy thought flailing around was hilarious.
I would gladly care for these kinds of birds again. I could pick them up with out a problem. They would cock their heads to certain things I would do around my room. The Girls also only used their cage at night and roamed around my bedroom the rest of the day, favoring a good sized window with a wide frame that I would cover with newspaper.
All in all they are great birds. I would recommend them as a first bird to anyone. They are easy to handle. They aren't very loud. Also their life span in in the low middle range meaning it's not something you need to worry about getting a living will for right away. They only live about 15 years so it's long enough to have a wonderful, meaningful relationship but not so long that you'll have to train yours or someone else's children how to care for them.
