Topknot pigeon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Topknot pigeon |
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| Hand-coloured lithograph of Lopholaimus antarcticus by Elizabeth Gould (1804–1841) | |
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| Genus: |
Lopholaimus
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| Species: |
antarcticus
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The topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus) is a type of pigeon. It lives in eastern Australia. People sometimes call it the flock pigeon because it often flies in large groups.
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What Does a Topknot Pigeon Look Like?
The topknot pigeon is a large bird. It is mostly a grey color, like slate. These pigeons are usually between 40 and 46 centimeters long. Their back and upper wings are a darker grey. Their main flight feathers are black. The rest of their body is a lighter grey.
Their chest and the back of their neck look streaked. This is because of dark markings on their feathers. Their tail is black with a wide grey band across it. The feathers on their head form a crest. This crest is grey near their beak and reddish-brown on top. The sides of the crest are black.
Their beak is red with a brown tip. The parts at the base of their beak are bluish-green. Their legs and feet are purplish-red.
Both male and female topknot pigeons look similar. However, males have a bigger crest. They also have fewer streaks on their chest. Young pigeons look like females. But their chest is mottled, not streaked. Their crest is smaller. The front of their head is light brown, and the top is grey. Their legs and feet are reddish-brown. Adult pigeons have yellow-golden eyes with a bright red ring. Young birds have brown eyes.
What Does a Topknot Pigeon Sound Like?
Topknot pigeons make a few different sounds. One call sounds like 'coo-oo, eee'. This sound might be made by baby pigeons. Another call is 'coo-oo, ooo'. This one is louder but still soft.
They also make a quiet, croaky sound, like 'cor-or'. This sound is a bit like what a domestic pigeon might make. When many pigeons gather to feed, they make a short, loud call. Some people say this call sounds like a distant flying fox or a domestic pig.
Where Do Topknot Pigeons Live?
Topknot pigeons live in many places across eastern Australia. You can find them from Cape York in Queensland down to the central south coast of New South Wales. These birds travel long distances. They are always looking for trees that have fruit.
They can suddenly appear in areas where they haven't been seen for many years. Sometimes, they even fly further south than usual, into eastern Victoria. In the past, some topknot pigeons were even seen in Tasmania. This shows how far they can travel to find food.
What Do Topknot Pigeons Eat?
Topknot pigeons only eat fruit. Their diet changes depending on the time of year. This is because different fruits ripen at different times. They eat fruit from various fig trees and other rainforest fruit trees.
Unlike some other pigeons, topknot pigeons do not use small stones to help them digest seeds. This means the seeds they eat pass through their bodies whole. Because of this, they help spread seeds. They drop seeds not only under the trees where they eat but also under the trees where they rest. This helps new fruit trees grow in different places.
Topknot Pigeon Life Cycle
The time when topknot pigeons breed depends on when fruit trees and palms in the rainforest have ripe fruit. When there is a lot of fruit, many birds gather in these areas. People have seen nests and eggs from June to December.
Not many nests have been found in the wild. The nest can sometimes be a bit flimsy. But often, it is quite strong. They build their nests using sturdy sticks from turpentine and eucalyptus trees.
A female pigeon usually lays one egg. The egg is oval-shaped and about 43 by 30 millimeters in size. In captivity, the egg takes about 17 to 24 days to hatch. Both the male and female pigeons seem to share the job of sitting on the egg to keep it warm.
Protecting Topknot Pigeons
Topknot pigeons used to live in huge numbers in Australian rainforests. But their population went down. This happened because forests were cleared. Also, people used to hunt them.
Because their numbers dropped so much, topknot pigeons are now a protected species in Australia. This means it is against the law to harm them. Recently, their numbers have started to grow again. This is partly because they have found a new food source. They eat the fruit of the camphor laurel tree, which is a plant that has spread in Australia.
Even though their numbers go up and down, there are still many topknot pigeons. Because of this, the IUCN says they are a "Least Concern" species. This means they are not currently at high risk of disappearing.
See also
In Spanish: Paloma bicrestada para niños
