Red-headed Wood Pigeon The Ogasawara Dove is one of three subspecies of the Japanese Wood Pigeon and is found only in a small portion of the Ogasawara Islands. They are forest-loving pigeons that live quietly in dark forests, and their breeding ecology and many other aspects of their lives are still unknown.

Tama Zoo At the Ogasawara Pigeon Farm, we began breeding pigeons in 2007, and as of February 2012, we had one male and three females. Three of these birds were siblings born from the same parents, and we had high hopes for their breeding because of their valuable bloodlines in the Red-headed Wood Pigeon lineage.

Therefore, we moved a new individual from Ueno Zoo as a potential pairing candidate for these three birds. The new individuals are two males born in 2011 and a female born in 2010.
We wanted them to choose their own pairing partner if possible, so we put the three Tama birds and the three new arrivals together in a large cage with a video camera set up in a group matchmaking style with a "Se-no! I put the three Tama pigeons and the three newcomers together in a large cage with a video camera set up.

I had heard that pigeons can easily recognize when they are not getting along with each other, so I prepared a quarantine cage and observed the pigeons through the video camera in order to separate them as soon as I saw any signs of fighting. After a few days, we saw movement. A female "Red-green" from Tama was carrying nesting material. Another female, "Red-Green" from Tama, was also carrying nesting material, which we could not identify on the video. I thought they were a pair. If they were a pair, I would have moved the other bird to another cage earlier and let the two birds continue nesting together, so I was glued to the video to observe.

However, it was the older sister, "Red and Yellow," who was nesting together. Unfortunately, no chicks were born. I felt sorry to separate the two birds that seemed to be getting along so well, but I wanted them to pair up with a fine male, so I let go of the red and yellow.

Since then, they have not been able to form a pair. Red-headed Wood Pigeon The two birds are very laid-back, so we would like to keep an eye on them as they search for a partner at their own pace.

Red-headed Wood Pigeon The two youngsters are displayed in the brooder house. Due to the structure of the cage, you can only see a part of them, but please come and see these beautiful pigeons.

Photo above: Red-headed Wood Pigeon
Bottom: Three newly arrived pigeons

[Tama Zoo Wildlife Conservatio Center Junko Ishii]

(April 12, 2013)