Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps (Geophaps) lophotes
Family: Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves, 25 species in Australia)
Size: 31-35 cm
Distribution: Most of Australia except TAS and Southeast WA and the very top end of Australia
Status: Common
Habitat: Lightly wooded grasslands near water, farms, rail yards, towns in grain crop areas
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest
The Crested Pigeon is often seen in the lower Blue Mountains, and in much of Sydney. It is a native pigeon, unlike the common feral pigeon (also called the Rock Dove) which it looks a little bit like (apart from the obvious crest on the top of its head).

Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2357 x 1655)

Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.
Some Birdwatching Resources
|
Common Birds of Australia (Green Guide), Peter Rowland. A smaller, more introductory book. It won a Whitley Award for best zoological book. The publishers say "This book provides an introduction to the major bird groups, with an emphasis on those that the amateur naturalist and nature-lover is most likely to see. The book is organized into six sections which cover birds of prey, waders and waterbirds, seabirds, songbirds, pigeons and parrots and other birds. Information is organized simply, with individual species or group entries describing key characteristics — where they are found, food requirements and behavioural habits. Each entry is accompanied by a colour photograph and, where appropriate, distribution maps. A key feature of the text is the "gee whiz" spreads which answer many of the most commonly asked questions about why birds do what they do, revealing facts and providing practical information for the amateur enthusiast. In addition, fact panels interspersed throughout highlight surprising snippets of information.
Click here to purchase from Australia $16.99 AUD |
|
Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds, Peter Slater, Pat Slater and Raoul Slater. This is a smaller field guide, and its advantage is it is easy to carry around. Its size is 21.3 x 11.4 x 2.8 centimetres, or 8.4 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches in the old scale. So it is a good one to get if you want to have your field guide with you out in the field. Unlike most of the field guides it also has illustrations of the eggs of all the birds that breed in Australia. It has very good reviews on Amazon.
Click here to purchase from Australia $29.49 AUD
Click here to purchase from Amazon (about $20 USD) |
Return to Australian Birds
Return to Site Map
australia birds
Website by Webworks® 2005-2012. This page was last modified on the 7th of November, 2011.
|