What Do Crested Pigeons Eat?

(August 13, 2010)

Ocyphaps Lophotes, commonly known as crested pigeons, are a species of bird found in mainland Australia. Crested pigeons are the only members of the genus Ocyphaps. It is amongst the rare Australian species with an erect crest.

What do crested pigeons eat? Crested pigeons diet involves small insects, small bushes, green vegetation, weeds, and seeds.  They usually feed on the seeds of acacia trees. They usually eat and drink in the mornings and evenings. The crested pigeon food also includes some fruits and vegetables. Green vegetation includes spinach, lettuce, watercress, and others. They also feed on fruits such as apples, berries, and pears. They should be provided with fresh water every day. They drink water by sucking it up and swallowing, rather than throwing their heads back as other birds do.

Vitamins should be provided in sufficient quantities in crested pigeon food. You can sprinkle some powdered vitamins on their food or water once a week. There are also commercial crested pigeon food products available in the market which contain seeds and other foods that give essential vitamins and nutrients to the birds. But these commercial mixes have recently proven to have caused loose stools in the birds, so you should not feed the birds these mixes very often.

Description

Crested pigeons are 30-34 cm in length. They are grey in color with brown tinge. It has a feathered black spike on top of the head and an erect crest. Their feathers are colorful with brown, purple, blue, and green shades.

Habitat

Crested pigeons can be found in wooded areas, grasslands, watercourses, homestead gardens, and golf courses. They can be found in mainland Australia except for regions with heavy rainfall. They love to spend most of their time on ground, than in the nest or shelter of tress.
Behavior

Crested pigeons can be seen alone or in flock of thousands together. Their wings make a significant whistling and beating sound when they take off to fly. They are highly gregarious birds when seen with people. These birds are generally sedentary. They tend to breed mostly during spring and summer. They nest their younger ones in shrubs or trees.  They lay two eggs and these hatch almost three weeks after they are laid.

Care

Keep the bird cage clean, which includes daily washing of the cage, water and food dishes. Keep an eye out for abnormal behavior such as sitting for long, closed eyes, and fluffed feather.