Conservation status: VULNERABLE
Common name: Western crowned pigeon, Blue crowned pigeon
Scientific name: Goura cristata
Type: Bird
Diet: fruits, seeds, insects
Length: 70 cm (Adult)
Weight: 2.1 kg (Adult)
The western crowned pigeon, also known as the common crowned pigeon or blue crowned pigeon, is the official provincial bird of West Papua.
It has a blue-grey plumage with blue lacy crests over the head and dark blue mask feathers around its eyes. Both sexes appear similar but males are often larger than females. It is also considered to be one of the largest and most beautiful members of the pigeon family along with its close and very similar-looking relatives, the Victoria crowned pigeon and the southern crowned pigeon.
The western crowned pigeon is endemic to the lowland rainforests of Papua, Indonesia section of New Guinea, while the other species of crowned pigeon inhabit different regions of the island.
However, these beautiful pigeons suffer from ongoing habit loss and overhunting. As result, they remain commonly only in remote areas.
References:
- “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.
- “Goura Cristata (Blue Crowned-Pigeon, Common Crowned Pigeon, Great Goura, Western Crowned-Pigeon, Western Crowned Pigeon, Western Crowned-Pigeon)”. Iucnredlist.Org, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22691865/0.
Animals in South-East Asia 