Victoria crowned pigeon

빅토리아관비둘기

A turkey-sized pigeon with a lacy fan-shaped crest. It has a blue-grey body, maroon breast and red eyes. It forages for fallen fruit on the floor of New Guinea lowland forest.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Birds
Lives in: Northern New Guinea lowland forest
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Length: about 0.74 m
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN NT)
Habitat: rainforests

Quick answers

Where does the Victoria crowned pigeon live?

It lives in rainforests. On the globe you can find it near Northern New Guinea lowland forest.

How big is the Victoria crowned pigeon?

It grows to about 0.74 m.

What does the Victoria crowned pigeon eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

Is the Victoria crowned pigeon endangered?

It is listed as Near Threatened (IUCN NT).

The Victoria crowned pigeon, Goura victoria, is the largest pigeon alive. It is about 73 to 75 centimetres long, and average adults weigh around 2.4 kilograms, about the size of a turkey. It has a blue-grey body, a deep maroon chest, red eyes and a fan of lace-like feathers on its head.

It lives in the lowland forests of northern New Guinea and walks on the ground more than it flies. Its name honours Queen Victoria of Britain. It is rated Near Threatened. Despite its size, it is shy, and the calls of the males carry far through the forest.

How can you recognise it?

The crest is the star feature: each lacy feather is tipped with white, which separates it from the other two crowned pigeons. A paler row of feathers on the wing ends in maroon tips and forms a bar.

It makes a deep, whooping 'hoota-hoota' call. When it takes off, the wings make a loud clapping sound. Males and females look alike, and the standard measurements show a wing about 36 to 39 centimetres long.

Where does it live?

The crowned pigeons are a group of four very large, ground-dwelling pigeons from the New Guinea region. The Victoria species overlaps with the western crowned pigeon in part of its range.

The two can be told apart because the western one has a scragglier, hair-like crest and an all blue-grey chest. Some adults reach 80 centimetres in length and 3.5 kilograms in weight.

Fun facts

Crowned pigeons like this one are the largest pigeons alive, about the size of a turkey.
It is the largest pigeon on Earth.
Its take-off makes a loud clapping noise.
Its crest feathers have white tips like lace.