Victoria Crowned Pigeon - Facts, Other Information and Amazing Pictures | by Pets Planet...

The Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) is a large, bluish-grey pigeon with elegant blue lace-like crests, maroon breast, and red irises. It is part of a genus (Goura) of four unique, very large, ground-dwelling pigeons native to the New Guinea region. The bird may be easily recognized by the unique white tips on its crests and by its deep 'whooping' sounds made while calling. Its name commemorates the British monarch Queen Victoria.

DESCRIPTION

Crowned pigeons are the largest pigeons that exist and they can weigh up to 2.5 kg. The plumage of the Victoria-crowned pigeon is blue, with a brown chest and a conspicuous white spot on the wings. Their eyes are red, framed by black eyebrows, with a crest of delicate long blue feathers spotted with black and white high on the head. The other species that lives at the Barcelona Zoo, the blue-crowned pigeon, is different due to having a blue chest and blue head feathers without black-and-white spots.

ORIGIN and HISTORY

Originally from New Guinea and introduced to nearby islands, the Victoria crowned pigeon has been bred in captivity for hundreds of years. They're a common sight in the United States and the United Kingdom at zoos and aviaries, though they are somewhat rare in the pet bird trade.

This bird is the largest living pigeon and the closest remaining relative to the extinct dodo bird. It was named in honor of Queen Victoria and its flashy blue crown of intricate lace-like patterns, as well as its poise, do give it an air of royalty.

In the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, Victoria crowned pigeons had been widely hunted for their meat and feathers. Due to this, as well as habitat destruction, the wild populations were declining rapidly and endangering the species. In a 2016 update, they have been moved from "threatened" and "vulnerable" to the "near threatened" category because hunting has decreased but deforestation continues.

HABITAT

The Victoria crowned pigeon lives in the lush rainforests, which are rich in fruit trees for the birds to feed on. The pigeon also occupies muddy lowland flats in swamps and sago palm forests, as well as drier forest in the tropics of New Guinea. Some populations have been found in the Jimi Valley, at elevations between 1,500-2,300′. This sedentary bird nests close to rivers and swamps where vegetation is dense, and in virgin forests, far away from the crush of human civilization.

Pigeon perch A crowned pigeon perches in the trees of its lush rainforest home.Members of the genus Goura do not have a gallbladder and also lack an oil gland for preening. The bird is supposedly named for Queen Victoria, who had a penchant for wearing elaborate feathered headwear. The Victoria crowned pigeon apparently has no natural predators in the forest other than man, who hunts the colorfully plumed pigeon for its beautiful feathers and meat, which is considered quite a delicacy by some cultures.

BEHAVIOR

Little is known of the habits of the three species of crowned pigeons, other than what has been observed in zoos and among collectors of the birds. The Victoria crowned pigeon travels in small groups that spend most of their day searching for fallen fruits and berries;the pigeon remains near its food source and perches on branches. After preening its feathers, the pigeon bathes in pools of water among the fallen leaves of the forest. Virtually defenseless against hunters and feather collectors, the pigeon flies noisily up into the trees when alarmed or disturbed.

SIZE

Victoria crowned pigeons can reach lengths of between 28 and 30 inches from head to tail. To put this into perspective, it's nearly as large as an adult female turkey. They are much lighter though. The average weight of the pigeon is about seven pounds where a small turkey can easily top 15 pounds.

Reproduction and Development

These birds are monogamous and tend to mate for life. Birds are sexually mature at fifteen months. Bowing displays are performed by the male during courtship toward the female. He lowers his head and displays his plumage (crest) to the best advantage.

They build a fairly solid platform nest of twigs, stems, roots, and leaves. The male chooses the nesting site and gathers the nesting materials, which are set in place by the female. Nests are placed in shrubs and trees, relatively low. They prefer areas with tall hedges and thickets to woodlands.

The female lays a single egg. Male and female share incubating duties for about 30 days after the egg has been laid. The hatchling is almost naked, covered with a filamentous down. These birds are "altricial", meaning the chicks are almost helpless after hatching and require attentive parental care and feeding. Both parents care for the chick. They are fed by both parents the first few days on pigeons' milk, a curd-like material secreted by special cells lining the crop. This is scooped up by the broad, soft bill of the young inserted deeply into the parent's mouth. Gradually the adult bird supplements this with partially digested food. The young grow rapidly. In four weeks they are one quarter the size of the adults. The parents tend to the fledglings for thirteen weeks. However, if eggs or young are lost through predation or other causes, the female will usually lay again. The young will leave the nest thirty-five to forty days after hatching.

Did You Know?

Baby pigeons are called "squabs". When parents feed their squab on the nest, they secrete a nutritious liquid from the membranes around their throat, known as crop milk. Once the squab reaches a week or two of age, the parent starts to include regurgitated seed and fruit in the squab's diet too.

FEEDING

Like all pigeons, Victoria crowned pigeons feed on the ground. In the wild, their diet consists mainly of fallen fruits, seeds, grains, and small invertebrates. They're particularly fond of figs. Captive crowned pigeons do well on a high-quality seed and grain mix and many keepers stick with a standard dove mix. They should also get regular servings of fresh fruits and vegetables.

FUN FACTS

A very distinctive looking pigeon, it’s one of the largest in the world.

Found usually in pairs, these birds prefer to spend most of their time on the ground.

Pigeons are one of the few groups of birds that drink by sucking water up into their bills rather than scooping water up and tilting their heads back, the common method for most birds.

Reference:
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