Adam's Animal Stories (weblog)

After a couple of weeks where our dove, Panchi, consistently flies to her perch on command, I decided tonight to try to teach her to fly to other locations in the room. First, I directed her to her cage. It took about 3 minutes of coaxing, in the same manner as with the first, earlier command; she then flew across the room to the open door of her cage, then later returned to my hand.

About 15 minutes afterwards, I motioned toward the altar that she likes sometimes to land on, and I gently instructed her to fly there. This took a couple minutes longer than the cage command, but ultimately succeeded. I tried the same thing a few minutes later, and it worked again.

Panchi now will fly on command to three distinct places when I point to each place and say, "Panchi, fly to (x)." She has not yet - even once since I began these "experiments" - completely failed to fly to the location I suggest.

My wife suggested I write to the author of the Dove book who writes that doves will not learn any "tricks," and offer this new information to him.

I feel thrilled to be able to have this time with the wild dove I rescued. I am certainly learning a lot about dove intelligence!

Panchi, our dove, now very consistently takes my advice to retire to her perch, each and every time I tell her to, and she generally refrains from flying about the living room at this point for the reminder of the night. She has been flying around quite a bit, otherwise - especially at night - though with no indications of trying to fly out of the house.

She has taken to do a rather odd thing with me. Though she flies onto our heads regularly, and greatly prefers to rest on us whenever we allow it (especially when we first come home or when we sit down, or in the mornings), she will now often sit on my head and gently beat the sides of my head rapidly with outstretched wings, sometimes turning slowly around, so that the wing beats tap my head clockwise or counter clockwise...or sometimes while she faces forward; then she turns to face backwards atop my head, all the while beating rhythmically. This can go on for ten minutes or more each time.

She has so far done this only to me, and only on my head (in no other location and under no other circumstance), and only when she and I are alone together, such as when I am on the computer or while I meditate. I have no idea what this is about, but I have to wonder if it something a mother dove might do to its nestlings. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them!

My dove easily obeyed my directive to go to her perch again on the fourth consecutive night (see previous two entries, below). Tonight, we demonstrated this to my wife, though the dove went up only reluctantly for the purpose of demonstration. I fully expect her to go up again tonight before I retire, as well.

Part of the reason I find this so interesting is that the book on doves I have been using as my primary reference since finding this animal states definitively that doves are not very smart and therefore "won't learn...any tricks". While I do not consider what this dove has been able to learn a "trick" (because of its practical value), I do think it is of a similar order of behavior and therefore challenges the assertion of that otherwise very fine book.

The most delightful aspect of this, however, is that I feel a much deeper bond with the dove now that I am certain we are actually and effectively communicating, even if it is mostly "one-way" at present. I cared for the bird before, but now I feel I am falling in love! I look forward to much more in the way of precious exchange between dove and human. After all, this one is still less than five months old.

Except for last night, on each night that I have read the aforementioned book, the dove has seemed perfectly content - perhaps even amused - to sit atop the book, enduring even all of my page turning. (For this, I must carefully pull the top edge of each page down from the grip of its toes before I can turn it.) I was especially pleased tonight to read a passage stating that the Sixteenth Karmapa was especially fond of birds...all of this text in the shadow of my own dear dove!

Having now long since decided that my rescued White-winged dove is not fit for life in the wild, a sweet harmony has developed among all members of our household. An example of both (the reason I cannot release the bird, and the harmony we share) is that the dove often hops onto the dog's back, just as it flies onto our heads, where it seems to feel most at home. Of course, if I let it go and it landed on a neighbor cat's back, that would be the end of this story.

But it gets even better. Let me preface the following by pointing out that I believe from experience (such as many described here in my Animal Stories) that when animals and humans live respectfully with each other, each may benefit significantly in the exchange.

I have been reading a book about His Eminence, the Seventeenth Karmapa. It seems he enjoys playing with his Lhasa Apso/Shih Tzu dog, as well as a cockatoo that had been gifted to him. The book further explains that many Karmapas had been observed "teaching" animals (as well as humans) in the wild, and otherwise.

I enjoy trying to dialogue with animals as much as possible, also in the wild and otherwise. I feel that I learn much in this exchange, perhaps more than I "teach" to them, though I can think of many examples of this, too.

My dove, "Panchi" (Hindi for "bird"), regularly comes when called now. But - quite surprisingly to me - it has recently done something remarkable. When Panchi first did this, the night before last, I figured it could just be a fluke. But when the same thing happened last night, I was taken aback.

For the past two nights, while I read the Karmapa's book, Panchi had spent much time sitting along the top edge of the book. This makes turning the pages somewhat difficult, but is not remarkable, as the dove prefers to be as near as possible at all times.

What is remarkable is this: while I prepared to retire, night-before-last, I found that Panchi had moved to its favorite spot on our living room altar space. I decided to try to "teach" something, so I knelt close and explained that it would be best for her to fly up to her favorite perch to sleep for the night, rather than remain on the altar. I extended my arm and wiggled my fingers along the dove's line of sight toward that perch. The dove looked in that direction, but did not move, so I explained again. Panchi then flew straight toward what I was certain would be my up-raised hand, but she went right past, landing on the perch!

Last night, Panchi sat nearby on the couch when I decided to go to bed, so I came close and explained the same thing. This time, she quickly got the message and immediately flew up to that perch for the night.

Each of these explanations about flying to the perch took well under one minute apiece, and her response convinces me that she knows exactly what I mean, and is quite willing to obey.

I have been surprised at how readily the dove has learned to come on command, but I feel somewhat astounded that I can now tell her where to go by pointing to a place!

As usual, I am learning that animals are far brighter than even I tend to give them credit for!


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