Victoria crowned pigeon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Victoria crowned pigeon |
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| At Leipzig Zoological Garden, Leipzig, Germany | |
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| Genus: |
Goura
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| Species: |
victoria
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The Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) is a very large, bluish-grey pigeon. It has beautiful blue, lace-like crests on its head, a maroon chest, and red eyes (called irises). This bird is one of four special, very large pigeons that live on the ground in the New Guinea area.
You can easily spot this pigeon by the unique white tips on its crests. It also makes deep 'whooping' sounds when it calls. Its name honors Queen Victoria, a famous British queen.
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What Does It Look Like?
The Victoria crowned pigeon is a deep blue-grey color. It has a small, black area around its eyes, like a mask. The feathers on its head, called a crest, are a special feature of crowned pigeons. These crest feathers have bright white tips.
On its wings, there are rows of lighter blue-grey feathers with maroon tips. These form a clear band across its wings. Its chest is a deep purple-maroon color. Sometimes, these pigeons can be completely black, which is called melanism.
There are two other types of crowned pigeons that look a bit similar. However, only the western crowned pigeon lives in the same areas as the Victoria species. The Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon lives elsewhere. The western crowned pigeon has a crest that looks more messy or hair-like. Its chest is a plain blue-grey, not maroon, and its wing band is not as clear. Both male and female Victoria crowned pigeons look alike.
This pigeon is usually about 73 to 75 centimeters (about 29 to 30 inches) long. Some can be even longer, over 80 centimeters (31 inches), and weigh up to 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds). It is slightly larger than the other crowned pigeons. This makes it the biggest living pigeon species on Earth.
Like other crowned pigeons, this bird makes a loud clapping sound when it flies. Its mating calls are deep hoota-hoota-hoota sounds. When they protect their home area, they make a loud whup-up, whup-up call. Their call to find each other sounds like a deep, quiet ummm or hmmm.
There are two types of Victoria crowned pigeons. One is G. v. beccarii, found on the main island of New Guinea. The other is G. v. victoria, found on the islands of Yapen, Biak, and Supiori. The island type is smaller and has darker feathers. It also has a less full crest with some black on its wing feathers.
Where Does It Live?
The Victoria crowned pigeon lives in the low-lying and swampy forests of northern New Guinea and the islands nearby. It often lives in areas that used to be floodplains, including forests with sago palm trees.
These birds usually stay at or near sea level. But sometimes, they might go up into the hills, reaching heights of about 900 meters (3,000 feet).
How Does It Behave?
Like other crowned pigeons, the Victoria crowned pigeon likes to be with others. They usually travel in pairs or small groups when they look for food. They walk slowly and calmly along the forest floor.
Their food is usually fruit that has fallen from trees. Pigeons in zoos especially love to eat figs. Sometimes, they also eat seeds and small bugs (called invertebrates).
If something scares them, these birds fly straight up into the top branches of a large forest tree. After being scared, they might stay on their perch for a long time. They will make calls to each other and flick their tails. In the wild, they are usually shyer than the western crowned pigeon. However, you can sometimes get close to them quietly.
Male pigeons often show off to each other to decide who is in charge. During these shows, they puff up their chests and lift their wings as if they are going to hit each other. They also make short runs at each other. They might even touch, but they rarely hurt each other. Outside of the early mating season, males can be quite peaceful with each other.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
These pigeons usually lay eggs late in the wet season and during the dry season. When a male wants to attract a female, he lowers his head and stretches forward. Then, he swings his head up and down in a rhythm while wagging his fanned tail.
The female does most of the sitting on the egg to keep it warm. However, both parents help raise the young. The female usually lays one white egg in a strong nest built in a tree. The nest is made of stems, sticks, and palm leaves. In the weeks before the egg is laid, the male brings nesting materials to the female.
The egg hatches after about 30 days. The young birds leave the nest when they are still much smaller than their parents. But their parents continue to care for them for about 13 weeks.
Is It in Danger?
The Victoria crowned pigeon is now the rarest of the three crowned pigeon species in the wild. However, it is the most common type kept in zoos. One of the biggest dangers to this bird is that its home (habitat) is being lost because of logging.
It is now quite rare near towns and villages. This is because people hunt them a lot in those areas, especially for their feathers and meat. These birds can be quite calm and easy to hunt. But now, they seem to be afraid of humans in the wild.
Catching these pigeons to keep them in collections is not allowed anymore. But it might still be happening. The Victoria crowned pigeon is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means it could become endangered in the future. It is also listed in Appendix II of CITES, which helps control trade of animals to protect them.
Images for kids
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Victoria crowned pigeon at Bristol Zoo, Bristol, England
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Victoria crowned pigeon at Central Park Zoo, NYC, New York
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Victoria crowned pigeon in the Indonesian 100-rupiah banknote
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Victoria crowned pigeon in the Indonesian 25-rupiah coin
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Skeleton of a Victoria crowned pigeon
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Male pigeon showing off his wings
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