Sexing a Pigeon

Awhile back, I wrote that I’d be sharing the latest developments that I have regarding my investigation into the sexing of a war hero pigeon named Cher Ami who may be a hen or a cock. This issue is important for several reasons, including that the bird is identified as a cock at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where the bird is stuffed and on display. If the plaque that identifies the bird as a male is incorrect, it matters, given how many people visit there every year: 4.3M visitors in 2018, apparently. In any case, here’s an email I got from a reader and fellow Person Interested in Cher Ami—I hereby christen us: PICAs—who came across my posts: Dr. Marianne M. Gilchrist. Also, I’m excited to report I’ve gotten a very interesting lead from the National Archives. So, more to come. Thank you, Dr. Gilchrist! You can find the full thread of my Cher Ami posts here.

___

Email subject header: Cher Ami the Pigeon

Date: November 17, 2018

Hi, Susannah!

Having recently discovered Cher Ami's story, and your blog thread on her, and being very fond of pigeons, I just thought I'd add an observation on gender:

While it's difficult to be sure, given that the bird is stuffed, and taxidermists can change an animal's shape, my suspicion is she's a hen. Cock pigeons are chunkier and tend to have a thicker neck, with thicker feathers that they can puff out as a ruff in courtship dances. Cher Ami's neck is more slender. Cocks also have bigger ceres (the white 'nose') above their beaks.

I found these images online that demonstrate sex dimorphism in pigeons. Cher Ami looks to me more like a girl pidgie.

best wishes,

Marianne

___

[My reply on January 17, 2019]

Thanks, Marianne, and apologies for the delayed response. Would you mind if I posted your email on my blog? I could use your name or not.

___

[Dr. Gilchrist’s reply on January 18, 2019]

Hi!

Yes! I've also read that she was discovered to be a hen when she was stuffed.

I wonder if the stresses of war had stopped her laying eggs? She was an adult bird.

best,

Marianne

Enjoy my work? Buy "The Tumor." It’s been called "a masterpiece of short fiction."