Crowned pigeons
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| Systematics | ||||||||
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| Stephens , 1819 |
The crowned pigeons ( Goura ) are a genus within the family of the pigeons , to which four with crowned pigeon ( G. cristata ), fan pigeon ( G. victoria ), red-breasted crowned pigeon ( G. scheepmakeri ) and Sclater's red-breasted crowned pigeon ( G. sclaterii ) four Species belong. Their distribution area is New Guinea and some of the neighboring islands.
Crowned pigeons are the largest recent species within the pigeon family and live mostly on the ground. Despite their size, crowned pigeons are able to fly and stand up in danger.
features
Crowned pigeons reach a body length between 66 and 79 centimeters and thus almost the size of a turkey . They weigh up to 2.4 kilograms.
Crowned pigeons differ from other pigeon species in several characteristics: They have a rounded tail with 16 feathers, no rump gland and no gall bladder. The legs are very long and strong.
The plumage is predominantly blue-gray and red-brown. Each of the four species has large, fan-shaped crowns on the vertex. There is no gender dimorphism . Males are just slightly larger than the females.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the crowned pigeons is New Guinea. They are also found on some of the adjacent islands. The crowned pigeon is native to northwest New Guinea and is also found on the islands of Misool , Salawati , Batanta and Waigeo . The red-breasted crowned pigeon is found in south-east New Guinea, and Sclater's red-breasted crowned pigeon is found in southern New Guinea. The pigeon is native to northern New Guinea and is also found on the offshore islands of Japen , Biak and Supiori .
Their habitat is rainforests and swampy plains.
Way of life
Crowned pigeons spend the day in pairs or in small groups of up to ten birds on the ground. On the ground they move slowly forward while rocking their tail feathers. This mode of locomotion has a majestic effect on people. The flight of crown pigeons is cumbersome, they tree in danger, during a rest phase in the midday and during the night.
Their diet consists of seeds, fallen fruits, buds, young leaves, as well as insects and snails.
The courtship calls of the crowned pigeons are dull and remind of drums in their sound. During courtship, the male bows with a fanned tail and raised wings in front of the female and presses the beak against the chest so that the feather crown is spread wide. There is no courtship feed for this species.
The nest is built high in trees. A widely spreading branch is usually chosen for the construction of the nest, whereby ferns growing on this branch are often chosen as the nest base. The nest is very large, especially in the crowned pigeon, even for a species of this size. The clutch consists of only one egg in all three species. The breeding season is 28 to 30 days. Both parent birds are involved in the rearing of the young bird. With the crowned pigeon, the young bird will be fed for about 30 to 36 days after it has fledged. In the case of the fan pigeon, both parent birds are involved in guiding and feeding the fledgling young bird. They take care of him up to 13 weeks of age. The breeding biology of the red breasted crowned pigeon has not yet been conclusively investigated in the field.
Species and subspecies
The following species and subspecies belong to the crowned pigeon:
- Crowned pigeon ( Goura cristata ( Pallas , 1764) ). This species is monotypical , i. H. no subspecies are distinguished.
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Fan pigeon ( Goura victoria ( Fraser , 1844) )
- Goura victoria victoria (Fraser, 1844)
- Goura victoria beccarii Salvadori , 1876
- Red-breasted crowned pigeon ( Goura scheepmakeri Finsch , 1876 )
- Sclater's red breasted crowned pigeon ( Goura sclaterii Salvadori , 1876 )
attitude
Crowned pigeons were probably first introduced to the Netherlands at the end of the 17th century.
The first breeding successes came in 1850 with the crowned pigeon ( G. cristata ) at the same time in the zoological gardens in London, Rotterdam and Paris. The red-breasted crowned pigeon was first successfully bred at London Zoo in 1903, and the fan pigeon in 1881 in the Jardin des Plantes , Paris.
Crowned pigeons are very well tolerated, so that several pairs can be kept in large facilities such as tropical halls and can be socialized with other, even smaller birds.
literature
- David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes and John Cox: Pigeons and Doves - A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World . Pica Press, Sussex 2001, ISBN 90-74345-26-3 .
- W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
- Gerhard Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free living, keeping and breeding . M. & H. Schaper Verlag, Alfeld-Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7944-0184-0 .
Web links
Single receipts
- ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 582.
- ↑ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 580.
- ↑ a b Jade Bruxaux, Maëva Gabrielli, Hidayat Ashari, Robert Prŷs-Jones, Leo Joseph, Borja Milá, Guillaume Besnard and Christophe Thébaud. 2018. Recovering the Evolutionary History of Crowned Pigeons (Columbidae: Goura ): implications for the Biogeography and Conservation of New Guinean Lowland Birds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2017.11.022
- ↑ Calls of the Red-breasted Crowned Dove on Xeno-Canto , accessed on September 28, 2016
- ↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 344.
- ↑ a b Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 581.
- ^ Gibbs, Barnes and Cox: Pigeons and Doves , p. 583.
- ↑ Rösler: The wild pigeons of the earth - free life, keeping and breeding . P. 315.
- ↑ Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 345