Western crowned pigeon

Western crowned pigeon
At Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Birdpark, Jakarta, Indonesia
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Columbiformes
Family:	Columbidae
Genus:	Goura
Species:	G. cristata
Binomial name
Goura cristata (Pallas, 1764)

The western crowned pigeon, also known as the common crowned pigeon or blue crowned pigeon (Goura cristata) is a large, blue-grey pigeon with blue lacy crests over the head and dark blue mask feathers around its eyes. Both sexes are almost similar but males are often larger than females. It is on average 70 cm (28 in) long and weighs 2,100 grams (4.6 lbs).^[2]

Along with its close and very similar looking relatives the Victoria crowned pigeon and the southern crowned pigeon, it is one of the largest and is considered one of the most beautiful members of the pigeon family. The western crowned pigeon is found in and is endemic to the lowland rainforests of Papua, Indonesia section of New Guinea; the other species of crowned pigeon inhabit different regions of the island. The diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds.

Hunted for food and its plumes, it remains common only in remote areas. Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and overhunting in some areas, the western crowned pigeon is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.

Gallery

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References

1. BirdLife International (2013). "Goura cristata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. "A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World" by David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes & John Cox. Yale University Press (2001), ISBN 0-300-07886-2.

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the Western Crowned Pigeon (Goura cristata)
• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Red Data Book