White-headed Pigeon
Columba leucomela
A large forest pigeon with a white head and body (juveniles and females more smoky-gray), and blackish wings and tail. Red eye and eye ring, with a pale bill that has a red base. Eats tree fruits and is often seen perched on nearby power-lines. This species is found in wetter areas along the east coast of Australia.
Identification
The white-headed pigeon draws its name from its distinctive white head, neck, breast, and belly. In males, the wings are slate grey, along with the tail. The upperparts are grey black, with a green or purple iridescence. The bill is pink to dark red, but with a yellow or white tip. The legs and feet are pink to red. Females appear similar to males, but their white coloration is less brilliant and more muddied. Juveniles are similar to females, but with a greyer head and darker gray underparts. Juveniles have greyer feet, legs, and bills, with the bill white tipped. Adults range from 38–42 cm (15–17 in) from beak to tail, and weigh around 420 g (15 oz).<p>The eye ring and legs are red and the eyes are pale orange or yellow.<p>Their call is loud and gruff sounding like "WHOO!" followed by a gruff inhalation sounding "uk" (repeated three times). Sometimes the call is a low "oom".
Taxonomy
The pigeon family is a group of stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a worldwide distribution. The white-headed pigeon is in the genus Columba, the same as the Rock dove (C. livia) from which the domestic pigeon is derived. It has no subspecies.<p>The white-headed pigeon was originally classified as C. norfolciensis, but the 1953 discovery of an 18th century painting indicated that the description was likely for a different bird on Norfolk Island, perhaps the Pacific emerald dove (Chalcophaps longirostris). It is most closely related to the Metallic pigeon (C. vitiensis).
- Scientific name
- Columba leucomela
- Authority
- Temminck, 1821
- Order
- Columbiformes
- Family
- Columbidae
- Genus
- Columba
Range and habitat
The pigeon's habitat is from Cooktown, Queensland to southern New South Wales, with increasing numbers now found in eastern Victoria. It can commonly be found in tropical regions, subtropical rainforest, scrub, watercourses and street trees. Since colonisation of Australia, their numbers have decreased but they have thrived on the introduced Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora).
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The white-headed pigeon's nest generally consists of scanty twigs and is usually placed high in canopy up to 18 metres. It tends to lay one cream-white egg. Breeding is mostly from October to December.<p>These pigeons are often found alone, in pairs or in small flocks. They are very quiet and elusive. Their flight is swift and direct.<p>This bird's diet consists of fruits and seeds, with its favourite food being the invasive camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora). White-headed pigeons will consume buds, flowers, leaves, and ripe and unripe fruits of the camphor laurel year-round. They feed in tree canopies alone or small groups, but may also feed on the ground from time to time. Larger groups may gather when feeding on camphor laurels, up to 100. It also eats fallen grains in cornfields.[citation needed]
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
European Storm-Petrel
Hydrobates pelagicus
Tiny black seabird with rounded tail tip, white rump, and white stripe on underside of wing. Like many other storm-petrels, can be fairly common but mainly offshore and rarely seen; breeds on rocky islands where it visits colonies at night. Feeds out at sea, sometimes following ships and fluttering fast and low in the wake (like a bumblebee). In direct comparison, appears about half the size of Leach’s Storm-Petrel, which has much stronger, bounding flight. Winters at sea in South Atlantic.
Moluccan King-Parrot
Alisterus amboinensis
A brightly colored, slender, long-tailed parrot of forest and clearings from the lowlands to mid-mountains in the northwest. Red head and underparts, long bluish tail, blue back, and green or bluish wings depending on the race. Similar to Papuan King-Parrot with little overlap, but Moluccan lacks the pale green shoulder bar of the male and green head of the female. Somewhat similar to Chattering Lory but Moluccan King-Parrot has a blue rather than red back and a longer tail. Gives clear, high-pitched, upslurred piping and harsh scolding calls.
Mountain Trogon
Trogon mexicanus
Fairly large trogon of pine and pine-oak forests in highlands; usually at upper levels in trees and often rather shy. Male is striking, with big, bold white squares on underside of tail. Female has broken white eyering on brown head and coarse black-and-white pattern under the tail. Elegant Trogon overlaps in range and can be told from Mountain by the coppery color on the top of the tail (male) or by the white stripe behind the eye (female). Also note the finely patterned tail on both male and female Elegant Trogons. The similar but smaller Collared Trogon is found mainly at lower elevation and has much finer barring on the underside of the tail.
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