A long time ago someone mentioned you should train your doves in the dark. They are almost blind in darkness so they will be less likely to fly away is this true?

In the dark, doves will almost always go to sleep. If you figure out how to train a sleeping bird, let us all know.

I believe you may have your thoughts confused. It was suggested to hang dark material like curtains around the room you train in to give the doves the feeling of being on a stage. You would also need to use a strong light of some kind to simulate a spotlight.

This isn't necessary but sometimes it helps, especially if you don't have lot's of time to devote to training each day. I trained all of my birds in an open area in full view of objects to perch on. It took a little while but they got the idea not to fly to anything or anyone but me or the prop I wanted them on.

As for being blind at night, I don't think so but even in the light, they only see out of one eye at a time, not both. When turning right, they don't see anything on the left etc.

Perhaps someone suggested training them in the dark with a spotlight shining toward them... the same conditions they'll experience onstage.

Cris

I agree with Cris That is probably what the person meant regarding training birds "in the dark." You can catch escaped birds in the dark easily because they cannot see hardly anything. If there is a light source that is the direction they will fly. Please don't ask them to fly in the dark, as they are sure to hit a wall.

Shimada says to train a "flyback dove" in a hallway with dark material on the walls, like Dave described. That is another option, but it is still a lit hallway.

Doves will seek safety in the brightest light and highest spot they are allowed to land. Controlling where that light is can really be helpful.

A good man on the spot light has saved my act a few times. He made the magician the brightest spot in the room.

Some old guys who worked in the olden days of TV (Don't tell David Ginn I mentioned his name. I'm much too young to have had to deal with that problem. Well OK maybe once.) will tell you that doves in TV studios were a major test! The lights were all high and bright. Better equipment has worked wonders for solving that problem. (But don't do your dove act during the day at the Opry Land Hotel. The glass roof will call to your doves.)

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

A dove act can be performed outdoors in FULL sunlight, in windy conditions,just perform invisible harness productions.

I perform my dove act on TV at least 3 - 4 times a year that way.

G0THIKE