Victoria Crowned-Pigeons [goura victoria] at BWF. Come and visit the world's largest species of pigeons.

 

FACT FILE

The Victoria Crowned-pigeon occurs on Indonesia with and isolated areas in Papua New Guinea.

This species is found in lowland forest, including swamp forest, mostly in the extreme lowlands, but sometimes to 600 m, feeding on the ground in small groups of 2-10 birds and roosting in trees.

A single large white egg is laid and incubated by both adults for 28 days. The squab is reared by both parents and leaves the nest after 30 days. It is identical in appearance to the adults but 1/3 of their size. Males and females are virtually identical. The main way to tell them apart is that the male performs cooing and bowing displays to the female. During courtship the pair “dance” together, head shaking and bill-clapping for up to five minutes at a time. The sounds that these birds make are unusual. Their contact call sounds a bit like the sound created by blowing over the top of a milk bottle, whilst their display call is ‘Boom-Pa!' They are vulnerable in the wild and are part of a European Endangered Species Programme.

It is prized by hunters for meat and, to a lesser extent, feathers, and nestlings are taken to be reared for food. Hunting has extirpated it around populated areas including some transmigration settlements in Papua; it survives only in forests many hours or days walk away from the nearest village.