Crested Pigeons as pet birds
239 Comments »16th November, 2006; Category: Aviaries, Bird Behaviour, Caring for birds, Great Birding Moments, Pigeons and Doves
Crested Pigeon
I recently had a rather interesting comment on an earlier post of mine about Crested Pigeons (see Great Birding Moments #5 Crested Pigeons).
Karen wrote:
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 has 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! Karen is 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 her home and with the Cockatiels. It must make her day very pleasant to have such a lovely team of bird friends to keep her company.
She is probably right that it is safer in her 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.
Please note: the laws about keeping native Australian birds in captivity varies from state to state. Please check with the relevant authorities before adopting birds. Your state National Parks and Wildlife website is a good place to start. You local pet shop should also be able to help.
Update: This article was edited and updated in July 2015. The photos below were also added.
Crested pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Crested Pigeon
Peaceful Doves
Peaceful Dove, Cleland Wildlife Park
One of the most beautiful birds found in Australia would have to be the Peaceful Dove. At first glance it appears to be a dull grey colour all over. On closer inspection, however, the delicate markings make this bird stand out from many others.
The Peaceful Dove is found throughout eastern, central and northern Australia and the northern parts of Western Australia. Here in Murray Bridge, South Australia, they are widespread but not particularly common anywhere. The one exception is an area several kilometres west of our home. On my walks through the nearby hills I have often heard their soft, musical doodle-doo calls echoing through the mallee scrub. It is a peaceful, soothing call, one that I love hearing.
From time to time we hear or see them in the mallee scrub at the back of our house garden. Yesterday, while having lunch, we were delighted to hear one calling just a few metres from the front door. By the time I raced outside with the camera, it had gone. Trying to get a good photo of this species in the wild has been a long, frustrating journey over the last twelve months. I haven’t succeeded – yet.
The photo above is of a captive bird. It was taken in the walk through aviary at Cleland Wildlife Park a few days ago.
Related article:
Updated November 2013.
Updated August 2015.
Favourite Birding Spot # 6 Cleland Wildlife Park
14 Comments »16th September, 2006; Category: Aviaries, Birds, Bush birds, Favourite Birding Spots, Garden birds, Good Birding Sites
Entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park, South Australia
I love travelling so I can go birding in a new area. Last week I visited Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. This park is run by the National Parks and Wildlife of South Australia. It is a small part of the Cleland Conservation Park.
It has been quite a while since my last visit. In another life I had taken many groups of primary school children to this wonderful park. On quite a few of these occasions the visit was a part of a school camp at the nearby Woodhouse Scout Camp.
Southern Brown Bandicoot, Cleland Wildlife Park
The beauty of this wildlife park is that one gets a very close up look at many of the birds and animals native to Australia. These include a range of different species, including kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, echidna, bandicoots, potoroos and bettongs. In one spot you can have your photo taken with a koala. A feature of my recent visit was the absolutely gorgeous four dingo pups. They were about four weeks old.
Dingo pup, Cleland Wildlife Park
The main attraction of Cleland for me is the birdlife. The area is well wooded and so there are many native birds resident in and around the park. There are two walk through aviaries which enable one to get up close to many bird species. This is just great for photography. There is also a large wetlands area for all the water birds.
Over coming weeks I will feature some of the photos I took of the birds there. If you are impatient you might want to visit my photo gallery (sorry this gallery has been removed). I took over 200 photos that day, so you will have plenty to look at!
Happy Birding.
Trevor
This article was updated in August 2015.
Birds of the Adelaide Zoo
King Parrot at Adelaide Zoo
Earlier this week I received the latest magazine of the Zoological Society of South Australia Zoo Times (March 2006). This magazine covers events and news of the Adelaide Zoo and the Monarto Zoological Park (about 65km SE of Adelaide and only about 8 km from my home). I receive the magazine because I am a Life Member of the zoo.
Birds of Adelaide Zoo
This issue of the magazine does not specifically cover news of any birds held in the collection. I have visited the Adelaide Zoo on many occasions over recent years and I always take the opportunity to linger at the many bird exhibits. These enclosures are not your run of the mill sterile aviary cage. The exhibits very successfully recreate a small parcel of habitat in which the species live. Desert dwelling birds are depicted in a typical desert type environment. Water birds are exhibited in lagoons and small ponds. Rainforest dwelling birds are displayed in planted up aviaries with the feel and look of a rainforest and so on.
Cattle Egret, Adelaide Zoo
Walk through aviaries
A feature of the magnificent avian collection of the Adelaide Zoo is the three walk through aviaries. In these one is able to get up close and personal with the many species contained in the display. My favourite would have to be the Rainforest aviary. This contains many species I don’t get to see here in the dry Murray Mallee of South Australia.
Education
This just highlights the valuable educational role that the modern zoo can provide. Many of the species contained in the zoo collection are not easily seen in the natural environment unless one is able to travel vast distances. I spend time studying these beautiful birds in the aviaries so that when I do come across them in their natural habitat I will be able to easily identify them. Some species I will never get to see in the wild because of their rarity or the inaccessibilty of their natural habitat. It’s not ideal – it’s not the same as seeing them in the wild state – but it’s the next best thing.
Elusive Species
One relatively common Australian bird species is the Glossy Ibis. I have searched high and low for this bird in various parts of Australia. It is even quite common within an hour’s drive of home. So far it has eluded me. This is very frustrating because I know it should be easy to find. I have seen this species in many zoos around Australia – but I’ve never seen one in its natural habitat! My day will come – then I will see it at every turn. Guarateed! It’s a birding law.
For more information about the Adelaide Zoo and the Monarto Zoological Park click here.