Crested PigeonCrested Pigeon – water Crested Pigeon – iridescence Crested Pigeon – roosting Crested Pigeon – mixed company
Once restricted to arid and semi-arid regions of inland Australia, the Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) have successfully established themselves as an urban bird, and are widely distributed across the mainland.
Australia has over 20 native species of pigeons, belonging to the family Columbidae. Of these, only two species of Australian pigeons possess an erect crest, the Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) and the Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera). The Crested Pigeon being the larger of the two species.
The crest is thin and black, whilst most of the plumage is grey-brown, although in certain light, such as sunset, it can have a soft dusty blue-grey hue. The wings are barred with black, glossy green and purple patches and it has a pinkish-red ring around the eye.
When startled, the pigeon takes to the air with a lovely characteristic whistling flight.
The Crested Pigeon is also referred to as a Topknot Pigeon, which is the common name that given to species Lopholaimus antarcticus along the east coast of Australia.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Aves
- Order: Columbiformes
- Family: Columbidae
- Genus: Ocyphaps
- Species: O. lophotes
- Binomial name: Ocyphaps lophotes
Crested PigeonCrested Pigeon – water Crested Pigeon – iridescence Crested Pigeon – roosting Crested Pigeon – mixed company
BirdsApostlebird Australasian Darter Australasian Figbird Australasian Gannet Australasian Grebe Australasian Pipit Australasian Robins Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) Australasian Wrens Australian Babblers Australian Bustard Australian Chats Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) Australian White Ibis Bassian Thrush Black-faced Cormorant Black-faced Woodswallow Black Swan Bowerbirds Brolga Brown Songlark Channel-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cormorants Cuckooshrikes and Allies Dotterels Lapwings Plovers Doves & Pigeons Emu Fairy Martin Finches Grey Fantail Grey Teal Honeyeaters Kingfishers Little Friarbird Little Grassbird Magpie-lark Masked Woodswallow Noisy Pitta Olive Whistler Paradise Riflebird Pardalotes Parrots Pheasant Coucal Pied Butcherbird Rainbow Bee-eater Raptors Rufous Fantail Redthroat Rufous Bristlebird Silver-crowned Friarbird Torresian Crow Waders Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) White-browed Woodswallow White Capped Noddy White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Scrubwren