Not only is this the largest pigeon in the world, but I think also the prettiest. This beautiful pigeon is known by the name Victoria Crowned Pigeon; it was named after the British monarch, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Image via Wikipedia
This pigeon comes in a variety of blues and greys, and is very easy to spot, just look for the unusual crest, most have white tips. Home for this pigeon is in Northern New Guinea and surrounding Islands, mainly in wetlands and swamp areas. They have the most unique mating call, it is officially known as “booming” but it sounds like someone knocking. I was able to find a video with the sound, it is the 2nd video.
Image via Wikipedia
Unfortunately this bird is classed as Vulnerable and is on the IUCN red list of Threatened Species.
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I’ve never seen a bird like it!
Hi Lafemmeroar,
They are very different aren’t they, but very pretty I think.
Beautiful (although the pigeon in the last video clip does somewhat resemble Phyllis Diller)…
Hi HolEssence,
Good one. 😆
Nope, that is not the kind of pigeon we get in nyc.
Hi El Guapo,
It’s not the type of pigeon we have in OZ either unfortunately. 🙂
Although I’ve never seen this type of pigeon before, I have seen amazing photos of selectively-bred pigeons. Amazing … then again, I think back to a different type of connection to pigeons here because there is a memorial at the Cincinnati Zoo to Martha – the last of the passenger pigeons.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/onehundredyears/featured_objects/martha2.html
Hi afrankangle,
What a lovely tribute to an amazing bird.
From the link above:-
“Martha,” a passenger pigeon named after George Washington’s wife, was the last of her kind. Immediately following her death in 1914 at the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, she was packed in an enormous 300-pound block of ice and shipped to the Smithsonian.
If anyone has the time, click onto the link that afrankangle has left and have a read, there is even an original video in there as well.
What a gorgeous bird! Certainly very different from the ones sitting on the roof here..
Hi Rebekah,
They are very different from the common pigeon, it would be lovely sitting in a park and watching these type of birds walking around.
They are really pretty, I’ve never seen them before. That’s an amazing blue. It’s a shame that they are now on the Threatened Species list.
What is the bird in the first video that keeps walking across the front of the screen – you can just see it’s head? I’m curious!
Hi barb19,
It is the most amazing blue for a bird, I think it’s more striking because the whole bird is basically that colour.
I went back to You Tube and this is what was on the video.
From You Tube:-
The curassow keeps popping its head up in the video, trying to be the center of attention.
I’ll take two dozen and take care of them every day! Everything around here not neutered, procreates!
Hi Texasjune,
Your place is were we need to send these magnificent birds. 😀
What a magnificent bird! Thanks for sharing, I never knew it existed before. 🙂
Hi E.C.,
There are a few around in different zoo’s, but unfortunately not in all zoo’s. I have never seen one live so to speak either, hopefull one day. 🙂
Very pretty bird, like a lot of New Guineas bird life it shows itself brightly in the dark and dense jungles of the area
Hi Kymbo,
I didn’t know that about birds in New Guinea, thank you for the info. 🙂
They are well named – I can see the high forehead of Queen Victoria! I like the sound…
Hi souldipper,
The sound is so unlike anything else, if you heard it in the wild, you wouldn’t know what it was. 😀
Now, if they all looked like that, I wouldn’t mind pigeons snarfing all the scran from my bird-feeders. And, Trafalgar Square or St. Mark’s Square in Venice would really be a sight!
Hi travelrat,
I can only imagine how beautiful it would look with a sea of blue in Trafalgar Square or St. Mark’s, talk about tourists dollars. 😀
Thanks Mags. I keep learning new things whenever I visit your blog. Amazing creatures! Cheers, Mal (from the Qantas Club Lounge of Brisbane Airport, on the way home to Townsville).
Hi Mal,
They are amazing birds and beautiful as well.
On your last leg home, it’s terrible when your holidays are over, they just seem to go quickly for some reason. At least you’ll have a great flight from Brisbane to Townsville, the weather is perfect here in Brissie. I just checked the radar, and there is a few light clouds over Mackay, and some light storms north of Townsville, so it should be good all the way home. 😀
Without getting too philosophical or having a lengthy conversation about God, it seems plausible to me that a higher power created such magnificent creatures. When you look at the detail of the plumage, the crown, and the hues of blue, there’s no doubt in my mind that this did not come as a result of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
I can’t seem to get enough nature Mags and am in constant awe of what’s out there – the birds, the flowers, the trees, the sky. I love that you share so much of this kind of stuff with us. Bravo.
Hi EOSR,
Nature can be very beautiful, and the crest of this bird is just so unique, as far as I know there isn’t another bird like it. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Hi Mags,
I’m also awed at the beauty of nature. I wonder who designed the gorgeous hat and in such a beautiful blue? I’d love to see one of these birds. Thank you Mags.
Hi dearrosie,
It is an awesome bird. 🙂
How stunningly beautiful they are. The pigeons here are crested too, but the crest is not nearly as magnificent as this one, and they are more modestly dressed too, in tasteful beige with feathers like shot silk in shades of pink and pale green on their necks and breasts. They are slim and racy too. This lovely blue one does look a bit like plump Queen Victoria. She always did remind me a bit of a pigeon. The crest very much reminds me of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s hats. She loved blue (like her eyes) and hated being called the Queen Mother, a title created for her by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, so as to avoid confusion, as they would both have been “Queen Elizabeth”. I apologise for this rambling digression. Just put it down to my advanced age.
Hi Lady Marilyn,
You are so right about the Queens Mothers hats, they were always very nice and a lot were blue, she did have the most beautiful eyes I thought.
It’s a gorgeous bird. The colours are extraordinary. I would love to see one for real. And the sound is amazing. Thanks for this Mags. I really enjoyed learning about this wonderful pigeon!
Hi Selma,
I agree, it would be fantastic to see for real. I think it is just one of those birds that you could happily sit for ages and watch. 🙂
Blue pigeons! Such a very lovely bird in my favorite color! And the unusual call – so mysterious!
Hi Barbara,
Everything about this pigeon is definitely unique, and I also love the pretty blue. 🙂
They are so pretty, they remind me of the woman that go to church on Sundays in the South with their fancy hats 🙂
Hi doudou,
There are a lot of hats around with crest like the pigeon. The pigeons are very pretty.
Pigeons – rats of the air..But these one are really pretty 🙂
Hi wolke205,
I agree the standard pigeons are like rats, even though these birds are part of the pigeon family, a different name would of been good. 😀
I never knew that! I like their hair it looks cute! Their color is so lovely their should be more blue birds 🙂
Hi Anyluckpeny,
It is totally different from other pigeons, it’s a gorgeous colour. I agree there should be more birds with this colouring. 😀
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