Instructions
Watch the bird's behavior, especially when it is around other doves. Male doves are often the ones which bow and coo to other birds, though sometimes female doves will do this too.
Take the bird gently in your hands and hold it in an upright position. Hold the bird firmy so that it does not thrash, but make sure not to injure it by holding too tightly.
Run your index finger firmly between the dove's legs.
Feel for the pelvic bones, noting whether they are hard and pointed or spongy and rounded. Hard, pointed pelvic bones generally belong to a male while soft, spongy rounded pelvic bones usually belong to a female.
Put the bird in a cage with another bird and wait to see if the two produce an egg that hatches. The one that lays the egg is female. The other is male. If two females are placed together, they will still lay eggs but the eggs will not be fertile and will not hatch. Two males together will not produce an egg.
How to Tell the Gender of Your Dove
It can be difficult to tell the difference between male and female doves because they do not have external reproductive organs like some animals. Instead, you must rely on behavior and physical characteristics such as bone structure to tell what gender a dove is.