The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is the largest species of pigeon living on Earth today. They can be found on Papua New Guinea, living in forested habitat. Victoria Crowned Pigeons feed on fruit, seeds, and insects. They mate for life and typically raise a single chick each year.
The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is named in honor of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and for its large crown of lacey blue crested head feathers. They can also be recognized by their red eyes, powder blue color, and very large size.
Due habitat loss, hunting, and other factors, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon has a conservation status of Near Threatened as of November 2014. Because of their rare beauty and calm disposition, they are popular zoo and aviary birds, and breed successfully in captivity.
From IUCN Red List: The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is listed as Near Threatened
on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2013 by BirdLife International. This species has been downlisted to Near Threatened as it is no longer suspected to be undergoing rapid declines since hunting pressure is no longer thought to represent a significant threat. Nevertheless, moderately rapid ongoing declines are still suspected to be taking place owing to the impacts of selective logging and the development of oil-palm plantations in its lowland forest habitat.
Today we proudly reveal the latest new bird in our Birdorable Bonanza 2012: the Victoria Crowned Pigeon.
The Victoria Crowned Pigeon is the world's largest species of pigeon. They are easily recognized by ... more
