CRESTED PIGEON PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Crested Pigeons range
in height between 300-350 mm (Bird World, 1999),
and are slimmer than the usual pigeon. It is noted
for it's long, black slender crest prominent at the very
top of its head. Rather colorful for a pigeon,
its sides of its lower neck and breast are a salmon pink
with tints of olive here and there. Its gray wings and
black bill are rather short. A Crested Pigeon is
mostly gray with the exception of bars of purplish and
or blue-green along its wing. Patches of drab brown remain
on its under parts. The outer tail feathers are
a darker gray with bluish, purplish and green iridescence
and a broad white tip. The orbital skin and feet
are purplish pink or pinkish red.
The iris is orange, yellow or even orange red with
a red periopthalmic ring. Strangely, these traits,
including the elaborate wing design which would be assumed
to be for attracting females during courtship, are found
in both male and female species.
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CRESTED PIGEON DISTRIBUTION and HABITAT:
Crested Pigeons are quite
abundant and can be found in most of Australia
except in the areas of heavy rainfall. The preferred arid
habitat is an open woodland containing shrubs, trees and
is within easy flying distance to surface water. They
tend to spend most of their time on the ground yet nest
and shelter in trees.
CRESTED PIGEON BEHAVIOR:
Crested Pigeons are usually
seen in pairs but may also occur in flocks of thirty to
up to a thousand or more. Whenever they come to water,
which is usually a half hour after sunrise, they hesitate.
They make distress calls until a brave bird inches
its way out to the water. As soon as that bird
proves the situation to be safe, the rest proceed to the
water. Crested Pigeons also has the ability to
suck water rather than having to throw its head back to
swallow. Nervousness is usually showed by a "hitching
up" of a wing and usually occurs at times of conflict
or when disturbed by humans.
CRESTED PIGEON DIET:
Crested Pigeons have
a diet consisting of mainly small insects, green
vegetation, small bulbs, and seeds. These seeds
are mostly from herbaceous plants including Acacia
trees. However, recently they have been found eating
exotic seed crops and introduced weeds as well.
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CRESTED PIGEON BREEDING AND NESTING:
Crested Pigeons tend to
breed
any time of the year but mostly spring and summer. Their
nest is normally in a platform of twigs located in
a tree or a bush.
First the male begins his courtship dance by bobbing his
head up and down and proceeds as it spreads and raises his
tail and half expands its wings. Advertising a low coo he
continues next to display his iridescent green feathers,
tilting them to shimmer in the sunlight.
Once a female
is attracted, the male then proceeds to throw the female
out of the nest until she returns enough times for the male
to finally accept her. At the sign of acceptance, the
female hops around dancing, this is a sign that the two
are united. At this point, they begin to excessively caress
each other in time spans of a half an hour at a time. From
this point on, no other
pigeon is allowed near the
nest. This
courtship display is a biological isolation
mechanism
indicating mating only between the same
species. Once the female recognizes the male of the species
there are physiological changes. An example is ovulation
of the female at the sight of the male's display.
The female produces two
smooth white eggs at around
33mm x 24mm in
size.
Incubation lasts from
16-18 days. The young fledge around 16 days old looking
like miniature version of adults, equipped with colorful
markings. In three months the young are fully grown.
STATUS:
The
Crested Pigeon is very
common and not at all endangered. This could be due to the
fact that they have no major threats and have the ability
to eat even
exotic seeds and introduced
weeds.
They are so common in
Australia that they are
hunted
as game bird.
Crested Pigeon
Fossil Specimens Discovered in The USA
