Crested pigeon (Topknot Pigeon)

Description:

A bird found widely throughout mainland Australia except for the far northern tropical areas. Only two Australian pigeon species possess an erect crest, the crested pigeon and the spinifex pigeon. The crested pigeon is the larger of the two species. The crested pigeon is sometimes referred to as a topknot pigeon, a common name shared with the reddish crested Lopholaimus antarcticus of Eastern Australia.

Habitat:

These birds nest in the many large mango-trees locally, only in yards without cats. Mango-trees have very thick foliage cover.

Notes:

They have beautiful iridescent colours all over! I feel sorry for the females of this species as they don't get a lotta rest from horny males, even when feeding. The males bob down & spread their tails upward, & make a cooing sound as they walk toward the females - pretty-well non-stop. If the females aren't feeling amorous (I've never seen one take up an offer on the ground yet!), the females just fly off (usually together). I think the females only surrender under cover of the tree-branches off the ground for modesty's sake! *If startled, the crested pigeon takes to the air with a distinctive whistling 'call', the source of the noise can be attributed to the way the air rushes over a modified primary feather found on the wings.