Victoria crowned pigeon
Victoria crowned pigeon | |
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At Leipzig Zoological Garden, Leipzig, Germany | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Columbiformes |
Family: | Columbidae |
Genus: | Goura |
Species: | G. victoria
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Binomial name | |
Goura victoria (Fraser, 1844)
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The Victoria crowned pigeon (Goura victoria) is a large, bluish-grey
Description
The Victoria crowned pigeon is a deep blue-grey colour with a small, black mask. Its feather crest (the signature feature of crowned pigeons other than their size) is conspicuously white-tipped. On the wing coverts is a row of feathers that are a paler blue-gray with maroon tips. These form a distinct wing bar. The chest is a deep purple-maroon color. As in all crowned pigeons, melanism has been observed. The other two crowned pigeons are somewhat superficially similar, but only the western crowned pigeon overlaps in range with the Victoria species. The Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon does not. In the western species, the crown is more scraggly and hair-like, the chest is a uniform blue-gray and not maroon, and a less distinct wing-bar is present. Both sexes are similar.[4]
This species is typically 73 to 75 cm (29 to 30 in) long. Some specimens may exceed a length of 80 cm (31 in) and a weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb).[5] It is marginally larger than the two other crowned pigeons on average, at a mean of 2.39 kg (5.3 lb) in adult body mass, thus is considered the largest surviving species of pigeon on Earth. The standard measurements among pigeons on mainland New Guinea are: the wing chord is 36–39 cm (14–15 in), the tail is 27–30.1 cm (10.6–11.9 in), the bill is 3.2–3.5 cm (1.3–1.4 in) and the unfeathered tarsus is 8.5–9.8 cm (3.3–3.9 in).[4][6]
Like other crowned pigeons, this species makes a loud clapping sound when it takes flight. The mating calls of this species are also similar to the other two species of crowned pigeons, consisting of a deep hoota-hoota-hoota-hoota-hoota sound. When defending their territories, these birds make a resounding whup-up, whup-up, whup-up call. Their contact call is a deep, muffled, and rather human-like ummm or hmmm.[4]
The two subspecies of the Victoria crowned pigeon are G. v. beccarii found on the mainland of New Guinea and G. v. victoria, the nominate race, found on the islands of Yapen, Biak and Supiori. The nominate subspecies is markedly smaller, with a wing chord measurement of 31.6–33.2 cm (12.4–13.1 in), with less robust legs and feet and darker overall plumage. The nominate has a sparser crest with black on the wing coverts and right above the tail.[4]
Habitat
The Victoria crowned pigeon is distributed in the
Behavior
Like other crowned pigeons, the Victoria crowned pigeon is a gregarious species. They usually travel in pairs or small parties as they search for food. They walk with an unhurried gait along the forest floor. Their food typically consists of fallen
Reproduction
Breeding peaks late in wet season and in the dry season. When the male displays for the female, he lowers his head down, stretches forward, and then rhythmically swings his head up and down while simultaneously wagging his fanned tail. Although the female does most direct brooding, both parents help raise the young. The female usually lays a single white egg in a well-built tree nest of stems, sticks, and palm leaves. In the weeks before she lays the egg, the male brings nesting material to the female. The egg is incubated around 30 days. The young leave the nest when they are still much smaller than their parents but are actively tended to for a total of 13 weeks.[4]
Status
The Victoria crowned pigeon is now the most rarely occurring of the three crowned pigeon species in the wild, although it is the most widely kept species in captivity. Perhaps the most pressing threat to the species is continuing habitat loss due to logging. It is now quite uncommon near human habitations because it is heavily hunted around them, particularly in areas where gun possession is prevalent. It can be quite tame and easily shot, though it now seems to be fearful of humans in the wild. Most hunting is for its plumes and meat. Trapping of pigeons to be kept alive for captive collections is now illegal but is still likely to be occurring. The Victoria crowned pigeon is evaluated as
.Gallery
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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
References
- ^ . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON – Calling and Displaying. YouTube (2012-04-25). Retrieved on 2012-08-23.
- ^ ISBN 0-300-07886-2.
- ^ Victoria crowned pigeon. Toronto Zoo. Retrieved on 2012-08-23.
- ISBN 978-1-4200-6444-5.