Common-crowned Pigeon

By FNZ
Oct 7, 2009

Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus/Species: Goura cristata

Description

The Common-crowned Pigeon is one of the largest species of pigeon in the world. These lovely blue-grey birds approach the size of a small turkey. The feathers of the back are tinged with purple to create a maroon wash across the upperparts. There is a small white patch on each wing formed by upper wing coverts. There is a terminal lighter blue-grey band on the tail feathers. A narrow band of darker blue feathers runs from the base of the bill through the eye. The eyes are red, the bill black, and the legs a deep maroon. The most noticeable anatomical feature is the elegant erect lacy crest formed by specialized feathers on the top of the head.

Distribution and Habitat

Common-crowned Pigeons are native to the moist lowland forests of eastern New Guinea and several adjacent smaller islands. They are found from sea level up to 600 meters in elevation. Groups of two to ten birds forage on the forest floor and flush into the tree tops when alarmed.

Diet

In the wild they are believed to feed on fallen fruits, seeds, berries, insects, and other invertebrates. The National Zoo feeds its pigeons a diet of papaya, Bird of Paradise pellets, avian maintenance pellets, mealworms, and corn grubs.

Reproduction

Little is known about the breeding behavior of wild crowned pigeons. Captive birds reach sexual maturity in their second year. Nesting birds construct a platform of sticks and twigs in the branches of trees, up to 15 meters off the ground. Both parents incubate the single large white egg for 28 to 30 days. When the chick hatches its eyes are closed and it is nearly featherless.

Common-crowned Pigeons, like all other pigeons and doves, produce a substance known as “crop milk”. Shortly before the chick is due to hatch, the lining of the parent bird’s crop begins to thicken. This lining sloughs off to form a cheesy material which the parents regurgitate to feed the chick until it is three to ten days old. Crop milk is similar in nutritional content to mammalian milk. Even after they have ceased to produce crop milk the parents continue to regurgitate the partially digested contents of their crops to nourish the young. The chick develops slowly and requires constant feeding and brooding for an extended period. Parents continue to feed the young bird even after it has left the nest at approximately one month of age.

Conservation

The Common-crowned Pigeon is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Despite this legal protection they remain under heavy pressure from illegal hunting and the demands of the southeast Asian pet trade. Their highly palatable flesh and unfortunate habit of landing on exposed perches to gawk at intruders has not helped them avoid illegal shooting. They are now common only in the wilder and more remote portions of their original range.

The National Zoo is one of 18 institutions participating in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the Common-crowned Pigeon. There are currently 31 birds enrolled in the SSP. The National Zoo exhibits one pair of birds in the indoor flight room of the Bird House

Source National Zoo

Editor’s Note: References AZA Species Survival Plan. 1998. Blue-crowned Pigeon 98 Fact Sheet (9/1/98). Available at http://www.aza.org/ConScience/ConScienceSSPFact/ Austin O. 1961. Birds of the World. Golden Press. New York.

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