Male and female pigeons look alike, so sexing a pigeon means checking several features over time: claws, cloaca, wings, vocalisation and behaviour. A pigeon seen laying eggs is female, but this is rarely seen.
There are subtle differences though, a couple of the best tells of your pigeons’ sex are their behaviour and their claws:
Male pigeons are more boisterous and louder than their female counterparts. They are also more prone to preening, head bobbing and puffing up their chest feathers.
Some keepers say a male pigeon’s side claw is about the same length as its forward-facing claws, while a female’s side claw is shorter, though this is not reliable.
The Differences Between A Male And Female Pigeon:
Below is a breakdown of all the ways you can find out the sex of your pigeon.
1. Incubation
In many avian species, the female incubates the eggs while the male goes off in search of food.
Unfortunately, with pigeons, it’s not a sure-fire way to tell male from female as both birds will take turns incubating the eggs.
However, typically, the male sits from mid-morning to late afternoon and the female takes over for the evening and night. Don’t rely exclusively on this method of sexing though as pigeons will get their shifts mixed up sometimes.
2. Claws
If you compare the side claw of a male to its forward-facing claws, some keepers say the side claw is about the same length as the rest.
The female’s side claw is supposed to be shorter than its front claws.
Unless the different lengths are significant and can be seen easily by the naked eye, only physical measurements will confirm this.
3. Anus
Also known as the cloaca, the anal vents between males and females are different.
Some keepers say the female vent is wider, but the difference is hard to see and not reliable.
4. Wing Test
For this traditional test, hold the pigeon gently around its body with its wings folded, and lift it slightly.
When you do this it’s the tail feathers that you have to watch.
Apparently, if the tail feathers stick out straight from the body, you have a male in your hands.
If the tail feathers continue in an upright position, then you have a female.
5. Sound
Pigeons are known for their cooing.
Both genders coo, but females generally coo less.
The theory is that females are calmer than males.
Males are much more vocal and loud.
It’s all to do with male testosterone. They like to be heard as well as seen.
6. Acceptance
It is known that when young pigeons are ready to mate and breed, and they have chosen the female of their liking, a curious ritual takes place.
The males choose the nesting site, but the females have to approve it.
She stays in place while the male flies off and brings back a straw or twig to give to her.
If she accepts the offering and places it at her feet, a sort of symbolic foundation laying, then you’ve got it.
She’s the female…it will just take a lot of patient watching.
7. Appearance
Males usually have slightly larger and more rounded heads, while the females’ heads appear to be not so round and have a flatter look.
Also, there are slight differences between their eyes.
Some people say female eyes appear rounder, whereas male eyes are slightly more oval, but this is not a reliable sign.
The other physical difference is that males are slightly bigger and heavier than females.
8. Behaviour
The easiest way to tell the difference is by watching their behaviour.
Male pigeons are boisterous and loud much of the time.
They strut and preen with macho pride and are given to display.
This is probably the easiest and most telling way to sort out males from females, but it takes a bit of observation.
Pigeons have elaborate courtship rituals. The one running away playing the role of shy maiden is the female.
The thug bothering her, doing his best to get her attention with displays of tail dragging, furious head bobbing and puffing up of his chest feathers is obviously the male.
It’s the sort of boy meets girl scenario you can see in any mixed social gathering.
Even without the need to mate, male pigeons seem to act more aggressively.
9. Mating
If you catch them in the act of mating, then it’s a no-brainer.
To mate, the male has to climb on top of the female, so the bird wobbling about on top, trying to maintain balance, is the male.
Sometimes when a young female is ready to breed, but has no mate, she crouches in the mating position in front of males, which is another indication of who is who.
FAQs:
Are Male Pigeons Bigger Than Female Pigeons?
In most breeds, a fully-grown male pigeon is slightly larger than a fully-grown female. It is, however, not always easy to discern with the naked eye.
Males are plumper in body and have fuller wings than females.
Males are also slightly longer in length and these differences equate to a greater male body mass.
Weights vary a lot between breeds; in feral pigeons, males often weigh around 300-380 grams, and females slightly less.
Are Racing Pigeons Male?
Both sexes of pigeon are used for racing.
There are no statistics available to say whether either sex is superior or wins more races, and both males and females have reached top speeds and record auction prices. Read more about pigeon speed.
Gender is actually exploited by the racing fraternity in a practice known as “widowing”.
Widowing is about which sex has the greatest motivation to race home the fastest.
It is assumed, stereotypically, when pigeon pairs are separated, that the male wants to rush home to his mate (or unpaired hens if he is single!) whereas females are more interested in flying home to their babies or eggs.
Depending on the race, the trainer will choose “widowhood” for either their female or male birds and separate them a few days before the race.
Sources:
- Factors causing sex differences in birds (opens in new tab)
- Paring behavior of pigeons related to aggressiveness and territory (opens in new tab)
Last updated 31 October 2026 · Keeping