By – Vinuri Randhula Silva,
The length of the
crested pigeon varies from 30 to 34 cm (12 to 13.6 in). Colouration
is grey with tinges of brown and green. It has a feathered but slender, black
spike on top of the head. It runs with the crest erect. The periorbital skin is
bright orange. Wings have black stripes and are bronzed, while the primary
feathers have colorful areas of brown, purple, blue, and green. Immature birds have duller colors with
no bronzing on the wings. The birds can be normally seen in two sizes, they can
be thin or plumped. It is almost impossible to tell if a crested pigeon is male
or female, because they have the same plumage.
If startled, the crested pigeon takes to the air with a distinctive whistling 'call', the source of the noise can be attributed to the way the air rushes over a modified primary feather found on the wings.
Their most distinctive behaviour is the
beating and whistling sound their wings make when they take
off. This is most likely to draw the attention of predators to birds on the wing, and away from any birds remaining on
the ground, and as an alarm call to other pigeons. When the birds land,
their tails tilt upwards and the flight patterns are similar to those of
the spotted turtle dove. They can be highly social and tend to be
seen in flocks of varying sizes. They are highly gregarious birds when in
contact with humans.
While they breed
throughout the year, it is more common in the warmer months. Males approach
females and begin an elaborate mating dance; they bob their bodies up and down,
while opening and closing their wings like a fan with each bob. This is
accompanied by a soft hooting which is timed with the bobbing. If the female is
interested, she remains generally stationary as the male approaches, until
copulation is attempted. Nesting usually occurs in shrubs or trees. Nests usually consist of a platform of twigs. They lay two
oval, white, glossy eggs. The eggs usually hatch 3 weeks after they were laid. Both
parents incubate the eggs.
References
1) BirdLife International (2016). "Ocyphaps lophotes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016:
2) Black, A. (2015). "Range expansion of
the Crested Pigeon, Ocyphaps lophotes, in South
Australia". South Australian Ornithologist. 40 (2):
45–61.
3) Gill, Victoria (2 September
2009). "Pigeons'
wings sound the alarm". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
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