Fan pigeon

Fan pigeon

The fan pigeon looks very similar to its closely related species from the genus Goura and is an overall blue-grey coloured bird with a dark purple breast and striking red eyes. Typical of the crowned pigeon genus is the spectacular feather crest, which is speckled white at the tips in the fan-tailed pigeon.

Nutrition

Although the fan-tailed pigeon is able to fly, it spends most of its time on the forest floor. There it goes in search of its favourite food: fruit, berries and seeds. It also supplements this diet with insects from time to time. When foraging, 2-10 animals often join together to explore larger foraging areas.

Distribution

The fan-tailed pigeon is only found in the north of New Guinea and on three small neighbouring islands.

The habitat of this pigeon is swamp and sago palm forests in lowlands up to 600 metres above sea level. However, it is also found in dry forests and near the coast. Although the fan-tailed pigeon is able to fly, it spends most of its time on the forest floor.

During the breeding season, fan-tailed pigeons build their nest of palm leaves and fibres in a large tree. The nest is usually much larger and more stable than is usual for pigeons and consists of a single white egg that is incubated by both parents. It takes about 30 days for the young to hatch and another 4 weeks for them to fledge.

Due to ongoing deforestation on New Guinea and the hunting of the fan pigeon's meat and feathers, the population of the fan pigeon is classified as potentially endangered by the World Conservation Organisation. There are probably fewer than 10,000 of them left in the wild. Only in the most remote regions of New Guinea is the fan-tailed pigeon still relatively common.