Great Birding Moments # 29 Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Sometimes things just go right.
I have spent many frustrating hours chasing – or waiting – for birds to sit just right for a photograph. Just the right pose, at the right angle, with the right light and everything in focus. It doesn’t always happen. Quite often in fact.
So when it all comes together and all the conditions are right AND the photo turns out nicely, it is a bonus. It becomes one of those Great Birding Moments. The pigeon in the photo above came for a drink at the bird bath. It must have seen me moving in the sun-room preparing to take its photo. It almost looks as if it was trying to pose for me. Click on the photo to enlarge the image.
Related articles:
- Great Birding Moments – and archive of wonderful birding moments.
- Pigeons and Doves – more articles about pigeons and doves.
Crested Pigeons as pet birds
239 Comments »16th November, 2006; Category: Aviaries, Bird Behaviour, Caring for birds, Great Birding Moments, Pigeons and Doves
Crested Pigeon
I recently had a rather interesting comment on an earlier post of mine about Crested Pigeons (see Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeons).
Karen wrote:
I have a crested pigeon sitting on my shoulder at the moment. I went for a walk one morning and saw her on the footpath. She ran towards me, not usual pigeon behaviour. I picked her up, she cooed and closed her eyes. I took her home and fed her and she has stayed. She follows me around the house and is the most inquisitive bird I have ever known. She is quite content to be scratched around the head and calls to me whenever I enter the room. She was obviously someone’s pet but I had no success in locating them. I originally had intended to feed her up and let her go again but she is so tame she would have been a danger to herself. She lives with my 3 cockatiels and probably thinks that she is one.
What an amazing experience! Karen is certainly right in deducing that it is someone’s pet, because the behaviour is certainly consistent with a bird that has been used to being handled.
Crested Pigeons are reasonably common in aviculture, especially in zoo collections. This species normally requires a large planted aviary and will breed readily in captivity.
I find it interesting that it is quite at ease in her home and with the Cockatiels. It must make her day very pleasant to have such a lovely team of bird friends to keep her company.
She is probably right that it is safer in her home rather than fending for itself in the wild. If released, it would probably be taken by a hawk very quickly as it would not be as alert to the dangers presented by living life in the wild.
Please note: the laws about keeping native Australian birds in captivity varies from state to state. Please check with the relevant authorities before adopting birds. Your state National Parks and Wildlife website is a good place to start. You local pet shop should also be able to help.
Update: This article was edited and updated in July 2015. The photos below were also added.
Crested pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon caught by surprise
Crested Pigeons are common birds in our garden and on our five acre block of land. They regularly come to visit the bird bath and have been breeding regularly over the years. We often see 15 to 20 or more sitting in a loose flock on the power lines bordering our property.
Yesterday, while hanging out the washing on the clothes line I observed one very surprised Crested Pigeon. He flew down from a nearby tree, under the clothes already on the line and landed not more than a metre from where I stood. For a brief second he paused, looked at me and then, a little startled, flew back to the tree again.
Crested Pigeon
I enjoy hanging out the washing. It gives me a break from the computer and gets me fresh air. It also gets me out where the birds are, and this I enjoy because over the years I have made some great observations while completing this task. The eyes are naturally looking up and I see things like eagles, kites, hawks, swallows, ibises and many other birds flying overhead. I live in hope of someday seeing some swifts in this way too.
Crested Pigeons in the park
No Comments »8th August, 2006; Category: Pigeons and Doves
Crested Pigeons
Crested Pigeons are a common sight on the farmlands throughout rural regions of Australia. In more recent decades they have become a common sight in the parks and gardens and playing fields throughout metropolitan areas of this land. This recent photo was taken at one of my favourite birding spots, the picnic grounds at Lake Inchiquin in Clare in the mid-north of South Australia.
For more postings about pigeons click here.
Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Earlier this week while driving to the post office to post some letters, I saw about a dozen Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes sitting on a powerline. This is a relatively common sight here in my home town of Murray Bridge in South Australia. I have seen loose flocks of 20-30 sitting in rows on power lines or on fences. On several occasions I have counted over 40, with 48 being the highest number in one spot.
Resident Breeding Species
The Crested Pigeon is a resident breeding species in our garden on our five acre block of land on the outskirts of Murray Bridge South Australia. On one occasion a pair nested only five metres from our house, in full view from the sun room where we often eat or sit and read or entertain visitors. The nest is a flimsy platform of small twigs. It is amazing how this poor excuse for a nest holds the eggs, let alone contain several growing chicks. But it is simply palatial compared to another common species around here. The nest of the Common Bronzewing Pigeon has so few twigs that I have been able to stand underneath one and count the eggs!
A bird on the move
The Crested Pigeon historically has been a species of the inland parts of Australia. In recent decades, however, it has spread steadily due in part to the increased availability of water on farms. It is very common in the parks and gardens of Adelaide and is increasingly reported in the metropolitan areas of Melbourne. In southern South Australia it was rarely seen in the south east districts, but I have seen it only a few kilometres from the coast near Mt Gambier.
Crested Pigeon
Habitat
It has been a bird of the rural areas of Australia, inhabiting grasslands, pastures, cropping areas, roadsides and farmyards. More recently it has become common in parks and gardens, golf and race courses, sporting grounds and other urban areas, even in our larger cities.
Common Name
I grew up in the Murray Mallee farming district in South Australia. Throughout this area – and in many other parts of Australia, this species is still called a Topknot, noting its erect crest. This confuses it with the Topknot Pigeon of the rainforests and woodlands of eastern Australia.
I must admit that this is one of my favourite species. It seems such an endearing bird and will allow a close approach to within a few metres if done without sudden movements, especially at the nest (which I try to avoid doing too often). Up close, with the sun on the feathers, one can fully appreciate the stunning beauty of the iridescent colours on the wings.
Crested Pigeon