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| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Blouborskroonduif |
| Bulgarian | Западен коронован гълъб |
| Catalan | goura coronada |
| Croatian | krunati golub |
| Czech | korunáč chocholatý |
| Danish | Krondue |
| Dutch | Kroonduif |
| English | Western Crowned-Pigeon |
| English (AVI) | Western Crowned Pigeon |
| English (United States) | Western Crowned-Pigeon |
| Estonian | lääne-kroontuvi |
| Finnish | lännenkruunukyyhky |
| French | Goura couronné |
| German | Blaubrust-Krontaube |
| Icelandic | Króndúfa |
| Indonesian | Mambruk ubiaat |
| Japanese | カンムリバト |
| Norwegian | gråbrystkrondue |
| Polish | koroniec siodłaty |
| Russian | Венценосный голубь |
| Serbian | Zapadni krunasti golub |
| Slovak | korunáč modrý |
| Spanish | Gura Occidental |
| Spanish (Spain) | Gura occidental |
| Swedish | blå kronduva |
| Turkish | Batılı Taçlı Güvercin |
| Ukrainian | Коронач західний |
66–75 cm; 1800–2400 g. Overall coloration medium todark greyish blue; laterally compressedcrest of lacy feathers paler blue grey than rest of body, with a silvery tinge; wings and tail darker, with a slaty tint; greyish-blue terminal bar on tail; upper mantle and most ofwing-coverts dark purplish red; outer greater coverts white tipped purple, forming conspicuouswhite patch on closed wing; broad black stripe extending from base of bill through lores, surrounding the eye and terminating behind it;iris red, bill black, legs and feet dark red. Partially melanistic birds occur in both races. Sexes alike. Juvenile similar to adult but has shorter crest (1), tailband less distinct (1), wing patch is cream-coloured and wings overall duller and browner (1); grey and red in wings of adult replaced by chestnut. Race<em>minor</em> smaller, e.g. wing of male 325–365 mm (2), versus 350–390 mm for nominate (1).
Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.
Hybridizes withG. victoria along Siriwo R, in NW New Guinea. Races apparently differ little, perhaps only in size, and species sometimes treated as monotypic (3). Three subspecies tentatively recognized.Also Seram (S Moluccas), where probably introduced (minor) (4).
Interior of lowland rainforest; also occurs in marshy and partially flooded areas, and in mangroves; to at least 500 m (5). On islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool occurs up to 150 m. Spends most of time on forest floor, but roosts in trees at night.
Permanent resident.
Feeds on berries, fallen fruit, grubs and insects. Forages on theground, usually in small parties of 2–10 birds, mainly 3–5 (1).
Advertising call a deep, reverberating “hoom-hoom-hoom-hoom-hoom” comprising 5–6 notes with drumming quality, given rapidly and often sounds farther away than bird in fact is; while foraging (or occasionally on flushing) may utter soft, deep, resonating “hooom” that is only audible at close range (1).
Virtually nothing known of seasonality, but a male with large gonads collected in Apr in Irian Jaya and nest with egg in Sept on Vogelkop Peninsula (1). Large nest of sticks built on horizontal branch (1) up to 10 m above ground (rarely lower than 6 m) (1), often over or close to streams or dry riverbeds (1). Lays one large white egg; incubation 28–29 days; fledging 30–36 days; both parents brood and feed chick. Nestling has dark–grey skin. In captivity, a fledgling returned each night to roost in its nest for up to 41 days; the male fed the chick for up to 56 days. One captive female laid her first egg when 15 months old.
VULNERABLE. CITES II. No census data available, althoughpopulation estimated at 2500–9999 mature individuals within overall range of 83,500 km. Although once common in suitable habitat in New Guinea, species is rapidly being extirpated near villages, although apparently remains relatively abundant on Onin Peninsula (Irian Jaya) (5). Threatened by hunting for its plumes and for food, although there appears to be less pressure on this species than on its two congeners, e.g. in NW New Guinea shotguns are not so readily available; also threatened by logging activity, e.g. on Salawati. Residents of Batanta reckon the species has disappeared from the island, andlocal extinctions also reported from mainland New Guinea. The single Seram record, Aug 1991, involved two birds collected by villagers for food, although local people described species as abundant in lowland forests on both Seram and nearby Bula I; very likely to have been introduced, as species is locally kept as pet or for food in New Guinea; not often hunted here, as considered difficult to catch and apt to perish rapidly in captivity. Despite being protected by law from both commercial trade and domestic use throughout New Guinea, the species continues to be traded, apparently in significant numbers, e.g. one handler based in Singapore reported having caught c. 900 birds in Irian Jaya; the genus is highly prized as an aviary bird; most are exported to European countries or to SE Asia, although all three congeners are also offered for sale in W Europe. In period 1983–1988, total of 562 birds reported to CITES as having been exported, most from Taiwan, Singapore and Indonesia, but these figures are likely to be a significant underestimation of the scale of the trade. Protected under Papua New Guinea law, where Department of Environment and Conservation has proposed a number of initiatives, designed to protect all members of the genus, e.g. environmental education of local people and their involvement in conservation planning.
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