Crested Pigeons

CRESTED PIGEONS  ( Ocyphaps lophotes)

I have watched these birds for many years. They are often about the town, sitting on electricity wires, watching the world go by. On a still day they can be heard 'hwoo - hwooing' from taller trees. It is one of the sounds of living in this town.





When I come across them feeding on the ground, they are quite timid, and burst into the air with a hectic whistling beating of the wings. Some say this whistling sound distracts predators from young birds which maystill be on the ground.



I watched this pair for a long time on Sunday. Sitting high on a dead tree, they 'billed and cooed' (I think that is probably the right expression for pigeons and doves?). They then played a sparring game with their crests. They looked as though they were fencing, using their long black crests as foils. They both displayed lots of feather fluffing, holding their tail feathers over their heads. The male then mounted the female.

 They flew off to another tree where they sat for  quite a long while in a contented way.

They seemed much more highly coloured than I have seen them at other times. Perhaps, like other birds, their colours intensify during the mating time. The legs were very red, the eyes bright orange, and the plumage more highly marked. They did look beautiful.