Topknot Pigeon
Encyclopedia
The Topknot Pigeon is a pigeon native to Australia
. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".
, dark grey wing
s and a slaty-black tail with one light grey band. The beak
is red-brown. The pigeon also has a flattened, wide and sweptback crest of feather
s that commences at the beak to the nape of the neck. The crest consists of grey feathers at the front and brown-red feathers at the back. The juveniles
are plainer in appearance with a brown bill. The tail band is less defined in the immature.
and are often spotted over rainforest
s and valleys but are also are found around palm trees, fig
s, eucalyptus
forest
s and woodland
s. They are completely arboreal. The birds tend to feed on fruits in the forest canopy and often rest on trees above the canopy. They gain water from raindrops from trees. They are occasionally found in open country seeking food. Birds can often be found from Cape York
in Queensland
to the South Coast of New South Wales
near the coast but have been seen as south as Tasmania
and the Gippsland Lakes
in Victoria
, depending on food availability. The species were observed in enormous numbers in areas that had rainforest but, unfortunately, numbers are declining because of the clearance of rainforests. Topknot pigeons are a protected species in Australia.
The birds are rarely heard but seem to produce soft, grumbling grunting noises. They commonly skirmish with each other and when skirmishing, they make short screech noises (akin to a pig
).
s are usually built in rainforest trees high above the ground. The nests consist of long and loose twigs. One egg
is laid that is large and slightly glossy.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".
Description
The birds are big, with length varying from 40 to 46 centimetres (16 to 18.4 inches). It has a pale grey breastBreast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
, dark grey wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
s and a slaty-black tail with one light grey band. The beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
is red-brown. The pigeon also has a flattened, wide and sweptback crest of feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s that commences at the beak to the nape of the neck. The crest consists of grey feathers at the front and brown-red feathers at the back. The juveniles
Juvenile (organism)
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look very different from the adult form, particularly in terms of their colour...
are plainer in appearance with a brown bill. The tail band is less defined in the immature.
Habitat
The Topknot Pigeon is generally found in groups that can number in the hundreds. They are strong fliersFlight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
and are often spotted over rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s and valleys but are also are found around palm trees, fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s, eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s. They are completely arboreal. The birds tend to feed on fruits in the forest canopy and often rest on trees above the canopy. They gain water from raindrops from trees. They are occasionally found in open country seeking food. Birds can often be found from Cape York
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
to the South Coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
near the coast but have been seen as south as Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and the Gippsland Lakes
Gippsland Lakes
The Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km2. The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington , Lake King and Lake Victoria. They are fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, depending on food availability. The species were observed in enormous numbers in areas that had rainforest but, unfortunately, numbers are declining because of the clearance of rainforests. Topknot pigeons are a protected species in Australia.
The birds are rarely heard but seem to produce soft, grumbling grunting noises. They commonly skirmish with each other and when skirmishing, they make short screech noises (akin to a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
).
Breeding
Breeding occurs from July to January, when nestNest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
s are usually built in rainforest trees high above the ground. The nests consist of long and loose twigs. One egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
is laid that is large and slightly glossy.