Doves and Pigeons

This large, arboreal pigeon, so named for its distinctive crest, is recovering from past excessive hunting and is again becoming common in coastal and subcoastal forests of eastern Australia, where its range expands south into eastern Victoria. The diet of this pigeon consists almost entirely of fruit, which varies throughout its range as fruit ripen at different times during the year.

Despite its brilliant plumage colouration, the arboreal Superb Fruit-dove remains well hidden amidst foliage, so is more often heard than seen in the rainforests of eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. This fruit-dove feeds primarily on fruits and berries.

This pigeon is becoming increasingly common in the same forests as the Topknot Pigeon. It is colonising open woodlands, farmlands and urban gardens. The White-headed Pigeon feeds on rain-forest fruit and seeds and has a special taste for the introduced Camphor Laurel.

Favouring drier inland woodlands and grasslands of north-eastern Australia, this ground-dwelling pigeon has disappeared from northern New South Wales and much of southern Queensland because of habitat loss and predation by cats and foxes. This pigeon feeds almost exclusively on seeds from grasses, herbs and shrubs, commonly foraging along the sides of roads.