Emerald Dove Husbandry Manual - Nswfmpa.org

Jennifer Brown ● Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica ● Husbandry manual
10.7 Age at First Breeding and Last Breeding:
The female Emerald Dove is able to breed in their first year. With little to no data on their
longevity a nd r eproductive ha bits in the w ild it is ha rd t o d etermine a n a ge f or l ast
breeding. These b irds c an b e c ompared t o
more common species as they have a similar
reproduce cycle with other species of doves
(pers c om C am 2 010). With t his in m ind it is
estimated t hat th e f emales l ast b reeding
year would be around the age of 13 years.
Fig 10.6 Adult (sex unknown) with Juvenile
(ryanphotography,2009)
10.8 Ability to Breed Every Year:
These birds are able to breed every year due
to t he fact t hat t hey can breed all year
round which gives them an advantage and
that it takes only a couple of months to raise
their young from the previous generation
(pers com Cam, 2010).
10.9 Ability to Breed More than Once Per Year:
There are no records indicating that these animals will breed more than once a year,
though d ue t o t heir r eproductive c ycle i t is p ossible b ut h as n ot b een rec orded. I n
captivity these birds can be hand raised but there are no records that indicate that a
female will doubled clutched after her first clutch is taken for hand rearing (Higgens et
al. 1996).
10.10 Nesting, Hollow or Other Requirements:
These birds req uire l ittle m edia to b reed. It h as b een reported t hat an E merald D ove
once m ade a n est o ut o f six t o eight sm all t wigs
(Higgens et al. 1996). A platform and materials to
make a n est out of such as t wigs, small stick and
coconut fiber is the easiest media to provide and
has proven successful (pers com Cam, 2010). A
platform is the easiest area for keepers to provide
for n esting, as i t is the saf est an d easi est f or
keepers t o c heck daily. I f a platform is n ot
provided f or t he b irds t hey m ay decide t o n est
high on a perch which can be a potential OH&S
risk for keepers to check.
10.11 Breeding Diet:
Fig 10.7: Emerald dove on nest (Lonely planet, 2010)
A t rigger t o i nduce breeding i n t hese b irds i s t o
increase th e n umber o f i nsects i n their mainly
grains and seeds diets, as well as providing the nesting material. For greater success this
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