Western Crowned Pigeon
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| Goura cristata (Pallas, 1764) |
The Western Crowned Pigeon, Goura cristata is a huge, turkey-sized, up to 75cm long, blue-grey pigeon with elegant blue lacy crests over the head and dark blue mask feathers around its eyes. Both sexes are similar but males are often larger than females.
One of the largest and most beautiful member of the pigeon family, the Western Crowned Pigeon is found and endemic to lowland rainforests of Irian Jaya, Indonesia section of New Guinea. The diet consists mainly of fruits and seeds.
Hunted for food and its plumes, it remains common only in remote areas. The Western Crowned Pigeon is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Goura cristata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
