Western Crowned-Pigeon Goura cristata Scientific name definitions

66–75 cm; 1800–2400 g. Overall coloration medium to dark greyish blue ; laterally compressed crest of lacy feathers paler blue grey than rest of body, with a silvery tinge; wings and tail darker, with a slaty tint; greyish-blue terminal bar on tail; upper mantle and most of wing-coverts dark purplish red; outer greater coverts white tipped purple, forming conspicuous white patch on closed wing; broad black stripe extending from base of bill through lores, surrounding the eye and terminating behind it; iris red, bill black, legs and feet dark red. Partially melanistic birds occur in both races. Sexes alike. Juvenile similar to adult but has shorter crest (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), tailband less distinct (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), wing patch is cream-coloured and wings overall duller and browner (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); grey and red in wings of adult replaced by chestnut. Race <em>minor</em> smaller, e.g. wing of male 325–365 mm (2 Kitchener, A.C., Macdonald, A.A. and Howard, P. (1993). First record of the Blue Crowned Pigeon Goura cristata on Seram. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. 113(1): 42-43. Close ), versus 350–390 mm for nominate (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

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Also Seram (S Moluccas), where probably introduced (minor) (4 Coates, B. J., and K. D. Bishop (1997). A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Dove Publications, Alderley, Queensland, Australia. Close ).

Interior of lowland rainforest; also occurs in marshy and partially flooded areas, and in mangroves; to at least 500 m (5 Rheindt, F. E. (2012). New avian records from the little-explored Fakfak Mountains and the Onin Peninsula (West Papua). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 132(2):102–115. Close ). On islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool occurs up to 150 m. Spends most of time on forest floor, but roosts in trees at night.

Permanent resident.

Feeds on berries, fallen fruit, grubs and insects. Forages on the ground , usually in small parties of 2–10 birds, mainly 3–5 (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Advertising call a deep, reverberating “hoom-hoom-hoom-hoom-hoom” comprising 5–6 notes with drumming quality, given rapidly and often sounds farther away than bird in fact is; while foraging (or occasionally on flushing) may utter soft, deep, resonating “hooom” that is only audible at close range (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Virtually nothing known of seasonality, but a male with large gonads collected in Apr in Irian Jaya and nest with egg in Sept on Vogelkop Peninsula (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Large nest of sticks built on horizontal branch (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) up to 10 m above ground (rarely lower than 6 m) (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), often over or close to streams or dry riverbeds (1 Gibbs, D., E. Barnes, and J. Cox (2001). Pigeons and Doves: A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Lays one large white egg; incubation 28–29 days; fledging 30–36 days; both parents brood and feed chick. Nestling has dark–grey skin. In captivity, a fledgling returned each night to roost in its nest for up to 41 days; the male fed the chick for up to 56 days. One captive female laid her first egg when 15 months old.

VULNERABLE. CITES II. No census data available, althoughpopulation estimated at 2500–9999 mature individuals within overall range of 83,500 km. Although once common in suitable habitat in New Guinea, species is rapidly being extirpated near villages, although apparently remains relatively abundant on Onin Peninsula (Irian Jaya) (5 Rheindt, F. E. (2012). New avian records from the little-explored Fakfak Mountains and the Onin Peninsula (West Papua). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 132(2):102–115. Close ). Threatened by hunting for its plumes and for food, although there appears to be less pressure on this species than on its two congeners, e.g. in NW New Guinea shotguns are not so readily available; also threatened by logging activity, e.g. on Salawati. Residents of Batanta reckon the species has disappeared from the island, and local extinctions also reported from mainland New Guinea. The single Seram record, Aug 1991, involved two birds collected by villagers for food, although local people described species as abundant in lowland forests on both Seram and nearby Bula I; very likely to have been introduced, as species is locally kept as pet or for food in New Guinea; not often hunted here, as considered difficult to catch and apt to perish rapidly in captivity. Despite being protected by law from both commercial trade and domestic use throughout New Guinea, the species continues to be traded, apparently in significant numbers, e.g. one handler based in Singapore reported having caught c. 900 birds in Irian Jaya; the genus is highly prized as an aviary bird; most are exported to European countries or to SE Asia, although all three congeners are also offered for sale in W Europe. In period 1983–1988, total of 562 birds reported to CITES as having been exported, most from Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia, but these figures are likely to be a significant underestimation of the scale of the trade. Protected under Papua New Guinea law, where Department of Environment and Conservation has proposed a number of initiatives, designed to protect all members of the genus, e.g. environmental education of local people and their involvement in conservation planning.