Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Earlier this week while driving to the post office to post some letters, I saw about a dozen Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes sitting on a powerline. This is a relatively common sight here in my home town of Murray Bridge in South Australia. I have seen loose flocks of 20-30 sitting in rows on power lines or on fences. On several occasions I have counted over 40, with 48 being the highest number in one spot.
Resident Breeding Species
The Crested Pigeon is a resident breeding species in our garden on our five acre block of land on the outskirts of Murray Bridge South Australia. On one occasion a pair nested only five metres from our house, in full view from the sun room where we often eat or sit and read or entertain visitors. The nest is a flimsy platform of small twigs. It is amazing how this poor excuse for a nest holds the eggs, let alone contain several growing chicks. But it is simply palatial compared to another common species around here. The nest of the Common Bronzewing Pigeon has so few twigs that I have been able to stand underneath one and count the eggs!
A bird on the move
The Crested Pigeon historically has been a species of the inland parts of Australia. In recent decades, however, it has spread steadily due in part to the increased availability of water on farms. It is very common in the parks and gardens of Adelaide and is increasingly reported in the metropolitan areas of Melbourne. In southern South Australia it was rarely seen in the south east districts, but I have seen it only a few kilometres from the coast near Mt Gambier.
Crested Pigeon
Habitat
It has been a bird of the rural areas of Australia, inhabiting grasslands, pastures, cropping areas, roadsides and farmyards. More recently it has become common in parks and gardens, golf and race courses, sporting grounds and other urban areas, even in our larger cities.
Common Name
I grew up in the Murray Mallee farming district in South Australia. Throughout this area – and in many other parts of Australia, this species is still called a Topknot, noting its erect crest. This confuses it with the Topknot Pigeon of the rainforests and woodlands of eastern Australia.
I must admit that this is one of my favourite species. It seems such an endearing bird and will allow a close approach to within a few metres if done without sudden movements, especially at the nest (which I try to avoid doing too often). Up close, with the sun on the feathers, one can fully appreciate the stunning beauty of the iridescent colours on the wings.
Crested Pigeon
Cresteds are now being seen in Gippsland, certainly expanding their range.
Just over 7 years ago (Jan 1999) we spent 2 weeks on the Mornington Peninsula. Lovely area. I recorded one Crested Pigeon at Moorooduc.
I have a pair of crested pigeons nesting in my front yard! The nest appears to be in some leaf litter under the shade of a very old yellow daisy bush. This is near Port Pirie SA.
Hi there Bev. Thanks for visiting my birding blog. I have never heard of Crested Pigeons nesting on the ground. They usually make a flimsy platform of small sticks 1-3 metres above the ground. Can you check to see if there are any eggs. If they are nesting – and not just having a rest – this could be worth recording as it is so unusual.
Whatever you do, however, try not to get too close. They are easily disturbed and may abandon the eggs.
We have a pair nesting right outside our kitchen window, less than a metre from where we work. They seem quite happy now, as we rattle around in the kitchen. Although the first time they saw us, during the nest building phase, I think they almost decided it was not a great place for a nest! One egg has been laid that we have seen, but a bird is always on the nest so not sure how many.
Hi there Pat, welcome to my blog. It sounds like you will have a front row seat watching the progress of this nest. Lucky you – I am sure you will enjoy the feeding of the chicks when they hatch.
The field guide I use says they usually lay 2 eggs but I wouldn’t go outside checking the contents because this might cause them to abandon the nest. They can be a little flighty when disturbed at the nest. The eggs should hatch in about two weeks after the brooding commences.
Do you have a camera? You have a great opportunity to take some great close up photos – providing there is no foliage or leaves in the way. What kind of bush/tree have they nested in?
Keep me posted on progress if you can. You can add your comments here so other readers can enjoy your experiences too.
I was recently given a young Crested Pigeon to look after untill he/she is ready to fly away. I have rehibilitated other birds such as Crows and Tawny Frogmouths, but I’m finding that the Crested Pigeon is quite different in its behaivour. I have been taking him/her outside for regular rumages through the back yard however he/she is unwilling to stray too far from my feet. Not exactly sure what to do with this one, the others left home with no trouble at all!? Any thoughts?
Hi there Anna. Welcome to my birding blog. What a perplexing problem! I have heard of some species of birds imprinting on humans on hatching from the egg, but this is rather bizarre.
I wonder if it just feels very secure in your presence due to the care you’ve given it and just like a pet parrot (eg budgie) it has bonded with you, which is different to imprinting.
Are they any other Crested Pigeons in the near vicinity? It may just need to hear its own kind calling, or see them feeding nearby and that would be enough incentive to “fly the coop.” Would it be possible to take it to where there are other CPs – say a nearby park? Just make sure there are no dogs or cats lurking. Other than that I am lost for suggestions.
Perhaps you are destined to be adopted by this beautiful bird!
[…] The most conspicuous species was the Rock Dove. Groups of three to five flew overhead or around the nearby buildings every minute or so. The next common species was the Rainbow Lorikeet. Small flocks of up to six or eight went screeching from tree to tree at least every five minutes. Noisy Miners squabbled and carried on in nearby trees all day. I was surprised none came down to the lawn to search for dropped food. Perhaps the large crowd was too intimidating even for them. I also observed two Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos over the Torrens River, several Adelaide Rosellas (a sub-species of the Crimson Rosella) flying nearby and a single Magpie Lark. Surprisingly, I also saw only one Crested Pigeon all day. They are a very common species in the parklands. […]
I have a crested pigeon sitting on my shoulder at the moment. I went for a walk one morning and saw her on the footpath. She ran towards me, not usual pigeon behaviour. I picked her up, she cooed and closed her eyes. I took her home and fed her and she’s stayed. She follows me around the house and is the most inquisitive bird I have ever known. She is quite content to be scratched around the head and calls to me whenever I enter the room. She was obviously someone’s pet but I had no success in locating them. I originally had intended to feed her up and let her go again but she is so tame she would have been a danger to herself. She lives with my 3 cockatiels and probably thinks that she is one.
What an amazing experience! You are certainly right in deducing that it is someone’s pet, because the behaviour is certainly consistent with a bird that has been used to being handled.
Crested Pigeons are reasonably common in aviculture, especially in zoo collections. This species normally requires a large planted aviary and will breed readily in captivity.
I find it interesting that it is quite at ease in your home and with the Cockatiels. It must make your day very pleasant to have such a lovely team of bird friends to keep you company.
Again, you are right that it is safer in your home rather than fending for itself in the wild. If released, it would probably be taken by a hawk very quickly as it would not be as alert to the dangers presented by living life in the wild.
I found a baby crested pigeon which I have been hand rearing for about 3 weeks. I feed him budgie mix and water. It has been living in a shoe box and purches on the side of the box. He has become very attached to me and is attempting to fly over to me when I am in the room. The last 2 days though I have noticed that he is no longer able to stand up and wobbles around or just sits. He is no longer as chirpy and less interested in his food. Any suggestions?
Hi there George. Well done for keeping the baby Crested Pigeon alive and healthy for so long. It sounds as if it might not be getting enough of the right kind of food. It might be worth ringing your local vet for advice – I’m certainly not qualified in this area. Another source of information and help would be the animal rescue people in your state. Check out the site here in South Australia here:
http://www.faunarescue.org.au/
The site includes food recipes for various species. Other states have similar web sites. Good luck – I hope the little one survives.
I have recently experienced how amazingly flighty these guys are! i was out cain toad hunting and went into under a bush to grab one and heard a bird flying off overhead. well i went around and eventually came back to the same spot to double check that i didn’t miss any toads and i saw a small completely white egg! well i put two and two together and this little thing obviously got bumped out of the nest by a retreating parent. so i braught him inside and kept it warm overnight and rotated it every now and then as i had no clue what stage of development it was in. i contacted the local wires and was told to put the egg back in the nest and hope for the best and that some one was goign to come out and check things out soon. i went to my room(temp room the family has gone up to lismore over the christmas holidays to visit the grandparents etc) to get the egg and something was different there was a large straightish cut in it which was not one of the dents/cracks on it from when i found it. the little devil was hatching! so i went and put him in the nest. no sign of the adults. the person from wires came and took a look and said he/she is a crested dove. i talked to her and i am going to bring him in over night if the parents don’t come back. from what i hear they are extremely difficult to hand rear successfully and i think that was why the career was relunctant to just take him then and there. I was wondering if you could give me any tips on how to hydrate him as i am mainly worried about him dehydrating. i do know a bit about hand rearing parrots and how you use a bent spoon etc. should i use that to try to get it to drink? i really don’t want to do anythign that will cause more damage than good. i’ll put him back in the nest tommorow if i have to bring him back inside but i am worried about how long he will last without anything to eat or drink. also in the feed mix on the link you provided any idea how much dog food to add? i could easly using a piston and mortor to grind some dog food and add some water, some applesause and some of the other ingredients and offer that but how much dog food.
cheers
Andrew
Hi there Andrew. Welcome to my blog. It sounds like you know quite a bit about looking after birds. This is something I do not pretend to know much about. It sounds like what you have been doing is fine. I can’t help you with the quantity of dog food that is needed as this is way out of my experience – sorry. As for giving the little one water, I wonder if using an eye dropper would be useful? I hope it all works out.
Hi Trevor.
Thanks fo the link to the for baby bird recipies. Hopefully it will help me keep the little bird I found today at Glenelg SA alive. We believe that it’s a crested dove, and it’s still weaning.
The family and I were walking around near the shops and it was just sitting there. I automatically reached out to see if it would go onto my finger, and the next thing I know, it’s made itself comfortable on my wrist. It stayed with us all the way around Glenelg, a drive to West Beach, an hour sitting on the sand with my husband and bag, then a 45 minute drive back to Munno Para!
It’s quite happy to just sit on me, or the kids, and seems alert. It seems to want to get water from the side of a syringe… I really hope we can keep it alive until tomorrow, when I can ring a vet for some information. I’ve got soup mix soaking and will try to feed it something before I go to bed.
At least it’s warm here at the moment.
Thanks again for the web site!
Mandy
Hello
There’s a crested pigeon nest on my balcony, and the mother has abandoned one of her two babies, its the smallest one of the two and has a air bubble under its right breast, she kept throwing it out of the next for two days and today I just couldn’t watch it fend for itself anymore and took it in.
So far I’ve been feeding it Heinz baby food, vegetable mash and purees, with some water. After a day it seems to be doing better then it was this morning.
I tried to take it to a vet but she wanted to put it down without looking at it informing me it was a pest and should die. I just couldn’t kill something cause of its race.
Anyway, question is, anyone have any tips on how I should raise it, its about a week old and has that strange air bubble under its right breast.
I do not have any experience in looking after birds with injuries and other medical conditions, so I am sorry that I can’t help you with this. Is there someone in your locality who belongs to a bird club or avicultural society who could put you on to someone who breeds pigeons and doves?
I was a little disturbed and quite disappointed by the vet’s reaction and comments. Crested Pigeons are a native species and certainly not a pest.
Hi Trevor,
We have been keeping a baby crested pidgeon for 3 weeks now. It’s a pure white one (some sort of recessive gene).
We first noticed it when it left the nest, as all the other native birds tried to attack it. For a couple of days it was wedged between the parents on a branch somewhere. Then we found it knocked out of a tree with all the birds after it. Poor little thing had lost one eye and was so submissive.
It now lives in our house, gets hand fed (starting now to pick its own food), has a huge cage but sits on our shoulder alot of the time. It would never survive in the wild, and being white, probably wasn’t supposed to. Have you seen a white one before. The other chick was the normal grey colour. We are watching the parent birds closly now, just in case they have another white one – but what is the chance of that? Also, do you know how to tell what sex it is?
Hello Trevor,
Today we found a crested pigeon egg on the grass beside our garden hose. The reason we know it’s a crested pigeon is because the bird that laid the egg was standing beside it and the egg was slighty wet indicating that it had just been laid. We have bought this egg inside and have made a temporary nest and have it under a table lamp for warmth. We’re not sure if this is the right thing to do but we don’t know what else we can do. How can we tell if this egg is a dud or not. If by some miracle it does hatch we are confident we can raise it having successfully raised a hatchling that was taken from it’s nest by a butcher bird and dropped in the back yard last May. You’re advice would be appreciated.
Hello Trevor
I’ve just been reading your comments and those of people with crested pigeon experiences. The lady called Karen (comment no. 10) who found a pigeon and has taken it home, I’m wondering where she is from as I lost a crested pigeon that I raised when it fell from it’s nest. While she was having a peck around in the back yard she was frightened by a crow and I haven’t seen her since. I live in Sandgate in Queensland, if she lives near here there may be a remote chance that she may have my pigeon which was also housed with a cockatiel. I don’t necessarily want the bird back, I would just like to be able to tell my kids and myself that she is Okay and well loved.
Hi there Louise, Sorry for the delay in replying. I was also sorry to hear about your Crested Pigeon being scared away. I will reply to your request about Karen by email.
Hi there Jesse. I am not sure if this egg will actually hatch or not. I do not know how to tell if it is a viable egg. I wouldn’t be too concerned if it fails to hatch. The loss rate in all birds is surprisingly high – that is why they often lay several eggs and nest multiple times in a season. The more they lay they greater the chance that some will reach maturity and breed.
If it does hatch be prepared to be busy. Baby birds are demanding.
Hi there Jamie. Welcome to my blog. Sorry about the delay in replying.
You are correct in assuming that the bird you rescued probably would not have survived in the wild although some leucistic (white) birds do survive for some time. As for the parents producing more like this there is always a chance I guess. I am no expert in genetics so I couldn’t say.
Both males and females in Crested Pigeons are the same, the juveniles are duller and do not have the bronze colours on the wings.
We found a very tame crested pigeon. The pigeon appears to be farly young and very comfortable around people. The pigeon just happened to fly onto our back deck and then into the kitchen where my wife found it. The pigeon came straight to her and the pigeon follows us everywhere around the house. The kids are getting very attached to him/her however I feel that someone has lost the pigeon and probably would like it back. I am hoping the owner may check this blog. I found this site by typing lost crested pigeon in google. We live in the Sutherland/Menai area in a place called Woronora.
Hi there Daniel. Welcome to my blog. Crested Pigeons can be quite confiding a friendly birds. I’d agree that this one was probably someone’s pet going by its behaviour. I hope you find the owner – otherwise it seems to be quite happy in its adopted home.
Hi, my name is Emma and i am 11. Yesterday me and my friends were in my backyard and we went up into our cubbyhouse which kept us warm and quiet for a few hours and we found a pigeon nest with 2 pure white eggs in it. The nest doesn’t look very strong and I don’t exactly know what to do with it. We assumed it was either a pigeon or dove nest because our next door neighbours house is always covered with pigeons plus 1 day they went shopping and took us with them and we all came back to see 2 pure white doves sitting on their roof. We all thought that they would fly back to their owners house but they are still there. It has been almost 6 months since they arrived, but unfortunatley 1 of them was killed by a stray cat that we are trying to track down and send to the pound. If you can tell what sex the baby in the egg is going to be when the egg hasn’t hatched.
Thanks Bye Emma
Hi there Emma. Welcome to my blog. I hope you found it interesting and with lots of information.
Pigeon nests are usually very flimsy with just a few sticks thrown together. I have stood under a Bronzewing Pigeon nest and have been able to count the eggs through the sticks! How the eggs stay there is unbelievable. How the baby birds stay safe is incredible.
As far as I know there is no way that you can tell the sex of a bird in the egg. In many species of birds it is even very hard to tell the sex of adult birds because the plumage (feathers) are identical in both males and females. The only real test is if you see a bird laying an egg, it must be a female. A vet can also perform a simple operation that can tell the sex of a bird.
I hope this helps.
How to keep Crested Pigeons in an aviary? Also like to know wheather i can keep 2 pairs in 12*4 feet * 8 feet height aviary.
Also i would like to know howmany Crowned Pigeons can one keep in a 15 and 1/2 feet * 15 and 1/2 feet * 8 feet height aviary.
I would be greatful to get this information as soon as possible.
Many Thanks,
Hi there Gautam,
This blog is mainly about birds seen in the wild, not cage birds.
You will probably get better advice from a forum such as
http://aussiebirds.proboards27.com/
I do not have any experience in keeping Crested Pigeons or Crowned Pigeons in aviaries. (Did you mean Rose-crowned Pigeons?)
My understanding from my reference books is that both species require very large aviaries, larger than what you are suggesting. I also found out that Crested Pigeons can be very aggressive towards all other occupants of an aviary.
So i have a little baby crested pigeon, which i rescued from the side of the road. She’s eating (baby food) and drinking water from my fingers. She sleeps in a cardboard box full of old towels and socks (and she seems pretty happy). She doesn’t like her cage, but I’ll put here there when shes too big for her box.
I have a few questions.
Firstly, when i feed her, food smudges on her face and chest, I’m very careful not to get it in her nose, but how am I meant to clean her face? With water? Because she scratches it with her claws.
Another thing, how old do i know she is? She won’t eat seed and drink by herself, she is mainly gray, but has white on her wings. And there are bare spots (without feathers) under her wings and at the bottom of her mouth (maybe from scratching).
And one last thing, how do i know how much to feed her?
Thank you!!!
Hi there Ania,
I am not at all experienced at looking after baby birds. Can I suggest that you ring your local pet shop and ask for advice from them. They should also be able to give you a contact name of someone in your local bird club who would be experienced in breeding and caring for birds. Sorry I cannot help.
Hi there, just like to add Mooroolbark (Melbourne Victoria) as a place to see the Crested Pigeon, steadily appearing more so in recent years and in numbers. Nice to see another Australian bird join our long list of native species in Mooroolbark. Thanks for clearing up a burning question for both my son and I (Dad). We thought they must have been some form of Dove, but with a crest; this website was very helpful in identifying this wonderful Australian creature. Thanks everyone! Kind regards, Paul.
Thanks for the kind words Dad and Josh. I am pleased that you found this site useful.
Hi there trevor!
What a useful little site. I have a quandry as to what to do with a crested pigeon I have been looking after. I found it in some grass beside a road, where I assume it flew after it was hit by a car. One of its little legs is limp and unable to be used, though the other has seemed to heal well. I really thought it wouldn’t last the night, but I have had it for 6 days now(a resilient little thing)and it has gotten progressively better and even flies about my room now. I have been feeding it seeds out of my multigrain bread (lol!) and making sure it drinks water everyday. I also gave it some peach nectar which it gobbled up readily. I’m just not sure what to do with it now! I hope that it can be rehabilitated back in the wild but I’m just not sure of its chances with one leg. 🙁
Please help!!
Hi there Lara,
Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment.
I am sorry but I am not an expert on caring for injured birds. Can I suggest that you seek out extra help from this web site:
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/factsheets/caring/CaringInjured.pdf
Hey Trevor,
I found this article very interesting to read! 🙂
Currently there is a crested pigeon sitting in a nest inside a bush outside my house, my dad spotted it building the nest this morning.
I just wanted to know if taking pictures of it at night with a flash would startle it or make it fly off? I want to take some photos of it since it’s quite a nice looking bird, but it’s already dark so i’m going to wait till the morning.
cheers.
Hi there Ameng,
I don’t think it would be wise to take a flash photo of the bird. Pigeons and doves are very easily startled and will abandon the nest quite easily. Just be very cautious near the nest with no sudden movements.
Enjoy having them nesting so close to your home.
Hi Trevor,
I was just reading your site and i would like to add that Crested Pigeons are very common around the Caboolture area and other near places. I also have some inquiries about baby crested pigeons. I know that you have said that you dont have much expertise in caring for baby birds but i was wondering if you knew what the survival rate was for them? I only just got it tonight and it is very small and seems weak. Also i was reading some of other peoples enounters and the birds seem to be a very friendly species- sort of attached. Is there a risk of this little baby bird becoming attached? I would love to have it but i am only just beginning grade 11 and dont know if i would have the time for it. I’m not worried about looking after it as i have hand-reared other birds successfully but any feedback that you could give me would be great!
Thanks heaps!
Hi Trevor,
I, like alot of the other people who have visited your blog have also found a crested pigeon. He was bauld when I found him and he was squirming on the ground covered in little ants. I took him home and syringe fed him a crushed biscuit and egg mix that I got from the local pet shop.
He is now fully feathered and going well but not growing as quickly as I think he should. I will give the fauna rescue link a go that you suggested on comment 13.
One other thing is that I have found if he gets a little bit on the cold side he will become unbalanced and unable to grasp the perch in his feet. I have found that the old type of light bulb is great for keeping him warm and overcoming this problem.
Great Blog, its been a help…Thanks
Thanks for visiting Grant, and thanks for the kind comments about my blog. It sounds like you are doing all the right things to look after the bird you found. All the best – I hope it fully recovers.
At Lake Boga Primary School there were some girls that fouund a Topknot Pigeon and it has had its tail ripped off and lots of feathers ripped out of its wing. We are wanting to know what we can do for it while it is recovering. We would really appreaciate if you could give us some information.
Thanks The Girls.
Hi there girls,
Thank you for visiting my birding site. I have good memories of several visits to Lake Boga. It is a lovely spot though I guess the lake does not have much water in it at the moment.
Congratulations on rescuing that poor pigeon. Make sure that you keep it in a secure cage away from things like cats that might harm it. Try not to frighten it.
You can feed it a seed mix suitable for canaries or finches. Make sure the water is cleaned every day.
Watch its injuries carefully – if in doubt you may need to take to your local vet for advice. If a cat has mauled it the cat may have given it bacteria which can cause it to die from infection.
If there are feathers that are really badly broken they may need to be removed. The feathers that have been ripped out should regrow in 6-8 weeks and then you can let it go out in the wild again.
All the best – I hope it survives.
Hi Trevor, we have a crested pigeon which we have raised since he was a tiny baby that we found in a gutter covered with ants. He is now over one year old and just this month has become very aggressive. He has always been very gentle and passive but now he gives warning coos when you come near him. Sometimes he will even fly at us and try to chase us and wack us with his wing or peck at us. He is often making the mating call – we are worried that if we release him he will not survive but he is getting too aggressive for us to let him out of his cage. What should we do? Also, our cockatiel is laying eggs at the moment, would this be impacting on him? Thanks, Susan
Hi there Susan,
Crested Pigeons are not really very good aviary birds because they can be very aggressive. They also require very large aviaries like those you see in zoos.
It also sounds like your pigeon is ready to breed. Without a mate I would suggest that this aggression will probably continue. The cockatiel may be adding to the problem.
I’m not sure what you can do to solve this problem. He may not survive if released. Could he be placed in another aviary? Is there a zoo nearby that would take him?
Another idea is to look in your phone book for the nearest bird club and ring them asking for advice.
I hope it all works out – for you and the pigeon.
can i get gautam mukherjis mail i would like to see crested pigeons with him is he from india i want to see one in india
Sorry aatish – I do not have his email address.
We have a crested pigeon nest with two eggs which appears to be abandoned by the mother. She has been nesting for probably 2 weeks. It is possible that the mother was scared off by a neighbour’s cat or could it be that the eggs were not going to hatch? I don’t know what to do. Should I bring them in and try to rescue them or let nature take its course? They seem to have been abandoned now for a full day and the nights are very cold. I’m not sure how long the eggs can survive in these conditions.
Hi there Christine,
Most pigeons and doves are very easily scared from the nest. I suggest that the eggs have been left for too long and would not hatch now that the mother bird has been absent for so long. Sad – but that’s the way of nature.
Your suggestion of a cat may be the cause – or the mother bird could have been hit by a car or taken by a hawk.
[…] put out bird seed and everyday, I get excited by the different varieties of birds that visit me. Crested pigeons are the most common and so are sparrows but occasionally I get the odd magpies and very very […]
Hi Trevor
What a wonderful website you have! I have a pair of crested pigeons living in my front porch, and today noticed that one of them has not moved from the nest all day. Is it the right time of year for them to have eggs? The pigeons are very friendly – they hang around our place because of the seeds in our pet rabbit’s mix I think – I often see the birds walking by the rabbit’s cage. What should I watch out for over the next few weeks, to make sure the nest is ok etc. I’ve put water our for them, and brushed the dog (golden retriever) too in case the birds want some fur to keep their nest warm! I’m keeping away from the nest itself though.
Thanks for your advice!
Liz
Hi there Liz – welcome to my blog about wild Australian birds.
Thank you too for your kind comments.
I think you can give your dog a rest – Crested Pigeons only use thin sticks for nesting material. In fact, sometimes their nest is so flimsy with so few sticks it is a wonder that the eggs actually stay in the nest. And how the babies cope without falling through beats me.
You can still put out the dog hair – the honeyeaters and Willie Wagtails will quickly appropriate it for lining their cosy nests.
hello trevor,
me and my friend have found a crested pigeon bird egg and we arn’t sure what to do,we cant seem to find the mother or the nest so we are keeping it warm but we just wanted to know if you knew how long the hatching period takes and what to feed it when its born thanks for the great web site!
beth and britt
Dear Trevor,
I found a baby crested dove under a tree at the back of our house, i checked the tree and mum was nesting, when she left the nest i checked and there was still one baby, I have kept baby warm now for 5 days and its eating fine and sleeping heaps, baby only seems a few days old, not sure if mum kicked baby out or it fell out, it poops regular and the colour seems right, I have checked a few websites for help to raise the little fellow. I can keep you informed of babys developments but hubby does not want me to try and put baby back in case mum rejects baby. Any help to keep baby going would be great. Thanks Suzy
Hi there Suzy,
Thanks for visiting my site and leaving your comments. If you look back through the comments section of this article you will find suggestions from many of my readers who have looked after Crested Pigeons.
Hey around our house we have about 10-strong colony of crested pigeons and we are in Carlingford in Sydney (near Parramatta) and we regularly give them millet which also get fed to our chickens…we have seen them go into the chicken cage and eat the chcken feed.
He around are house we have lots of crested pigeon and they eat in my house
l like crested pigeons because of the colour and l like when they fly to the air
l like crested pigeons because of the colour and l like when they fly to the air and came back to me
l have crested pigeons in st clair and they are my and they are strong and big
Have found a crested chick out of nest. Could not find nest. Has all feathers and is awake and aware, about the size pf my inner hand. How to feed? Thanks Dennis
I found one in my back yard two days ago that a group of carrawongs were attacking. It now has a broken leg and I am keeping it calm in a box with some seed and water. I am not sure what to do with it as it very quiet and lost quite a lot of feathers from the attack. Other than the leg it is ok. Please tell me what I should do and how to best look after it. I am scared my son will name it..then we have to keep it 🙂 .
I recommend taking it to a vet asap, preferably one that specialises in birds. While it is possible to care for birds with minor injuries, it sounds like its leg may be a bit to advanced for anyone without proper training to fix. Remember that many vets treat native animals free of charge. Hope this helps.
[…] recently had a rather interesting comment on an earlier post of mine about Crested Pigeons (see Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeons). Karen […]
One cold windy morning last September I found a baby crested pigeon on the road near home while out walking (suburban SE Qld). Could not spot any nest in nearby trees and there are cats in the area as well, so I ended up raising the bird (who I named Titchy) by hand with intention of releasing the bird back into the wild as soon as it could fly and was weaned (able to eat seeds).
Unfortunately I did not know the bird would bond to me and possibly is imprinted as well. A bird specialist at large pet shop subsequently advised that the bird would not likely survive in the wild, so Titchy now has the run of the house flying from perch to perch, but mostly just wants to be with me such as on my shoulder or asleep in my lap if I am sitting such as now. She knows what some words mean and communicates to me by different whoop noises, pecking, and shaking her wings when really happy, such as when I ask if she wants a “pat, pat” as she likes her head and top of her back being lightly scratched/patted which I guess simulates preening. In return she preens my hand and small spaces between fingers.
She shivers with fear very easy and that is why I think she is a she as male birds are more fearless. Though possibly a car or two may have run over her before I initially rescued her from the road, which could be reason for easy nervousness.
One time when I thought she might have a desire to leave I opened the screen door and shoood her out then turned around and walked back inside. Seconds later she flew back in thru the open door and onto my shoulder. Sometimes a pair of crested pigeons visit and if I sprinkle a little seed on the floor and open screen door they will hop inside but they just show aggression towards Titchy and chase her around the floor such that she will run to my feet or fly to my shoulder for protection. Food must be serious business.
I never knew birds were so smart or had such a range of emotions. I do not eat them anymore.
Peter
I have a family of Topknots (Crested Pigeons) living in a tree in my back yard. There were four but an aggressive magpie killed one. I sprinkle rolled oats out for the pigeons and one especially will come within a few inches while I am sprinkling the oats. Now he(??) has so much trust in me that if the magpie lands near, instead of flying off, he will join me in chasing the magpie.
I have a video of them on my mobile.
Thanks for your comments, Trevor. Just for accuracy, Topknot Pigeons are a totally different species found along the eastern coast of Australia. The Crested Pigeon is found throughout much of Australia, particularly in the drier farmlands and grasslands.