Southern crowned pigeon
| Southern crowned pigeon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Goura scheepmakeri sclateri | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Columbiformes |
| Family: | Columbidae |
| Genus: | Goura |
| Species: | G. scheepmakeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Goura scheepmakeri Finsch, 1876 | |
 | |
| Distribution of the southern crowned pigeon | |
The southern crowned pigeon (Goura scheepmakeri) is a large, terrestrial pigeon confined to southern lowland forests of New Guinea. It has a bluish-grey plumage with elaborate blue lacy crests, red iris and very deep maroon breast. Both sexes have a similar appearance. It is on average 70 cm (28 in) long and weighs 2,250 grams (5 lbs).[2]
There are two subspecies of the southern crowned pigeon, differentiated by their shoulder and belly colorations. Goura scheepmakeri sclateri of southwest New Guinea with maroon shoulders and blue-grey belly, and the nominate race Goura scheepmakeri scheepmakeri of southeast New Guinea with blue-grey shoulders and maroon below. It also looks very similar to its relatives, the Victoria crowned pigeon, and the western crowned pigeon.
This species was first discovered new to science by Otto Finsch who found a live bird received from the dealer C. Scheepmaker in Amsterdam Zoo and named it after him.[3]
Being tame and heavily hunted for its meat and plumes, the southern crowned pigeon is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Goura scheepmakeri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ "A Guide to the Pigeons and Doves of the World" by David Gibbs, Eustace Barnes & John Cox. Yale University Press (2001), ISBN 0-300-07886-2.
- ↑ Finsch, Otto (1875). "On a new species of crown-pigeon". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 631–633.