Birds of a Feather Don't Always Stick Together

ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2012) — Pigeons display spectacular variations in their feathers, feet, beaks and other physical traits, but a new University of Utah study shows that visible traits don't always coincide with genetics: A bird from one breed may have huge foot feathers, while a closely related breed does not; yet two unrelated pigeon breeds both may have large foot feathers.

"Most people think of pigeons as rats of the sky, but in fact they're really incredibly diverse," says Michael Shapiro, an assistant professor of biology and senior author of the study published online Jan. 19 in the journal Current Biology.

More than 350 breeds of pigeons differ in color, color pattern, body size, beak size and shape, structure of the skeleton, posture, vocalizations, feather placement and flight behavior. With help from pigeon breeders worldwide, the researchers studied the genetic relationships and visible traits of 361 pigeons from 70 domestic breeds and two free-living populations, one from Salt Lake City and the other on Scotland's Isle of Skye.

"What we found through this study is that birds that are only distantly related to each other can have very similar traits, and others that are very closely related to each other can look quite different in terms of their traits," Shapiro says.

In some cases, birds of a feather don't stick together -- genetically: The old German owl pigeon and English trumpeter both have head feathers known as a head crest, yet the two pigeon breeds aren't closely related. Another case: English trumpeters have feathers on their feet instead of scales. So do English pouters. Yet they are not closely related.

A few more examples of traits not matching genetics: Pigeon breeds known as the African owl and Budapest short-faced tumbler both have very short beaks, but they are not closely related. The African owl and old German owl pigeon breeds both have short beaks and are closely related, yet the African owl pigeon has a plain head, while the German owl has a head crest. And the English pouter and Brunner pouter are closely related, yet the former has foot feathers and the latter does not.

In other findings from the study:

-- Free-living pigeons -- including the common city pigeons known as "rats of the sky" -- carry the DNA of escaped or lost racing pigeons. Feral rock pigeons living in Salt Lake City are substantially related to a breed known as racing homers. Feral and perhaps wild pigeons from Scotland "are similar to an old domestic breed called the Modena, which used to be a racing pigeon but now is exclusively a show pigeon," Shapiro says.

-- Genetic analysis bolsters the idea that most of these pigeons studied have roots in the Middle East, and some with more recent origins in India.

-- Since birds with similar traits may be only distantly related (with no shared ancestors), it means certain traits in pigeons were selected by breeders repeatedly.

"Pigeons are a remarkable example of how selection and heredity work," Shapiro says. "These breeds are all members of the same species, but look really different. This happened because pigeon fanciers over the ages favored particular traits. This happened in dogs, too. It also happens to animals and other living things in the wild, except the agents of selection and change are environmental factors rather than human preference."

Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133154.htm

'Lazy' pigeons flock to ride Stockholm metro

A flock of Stockholm pigeons are using public transport for their daily jaunt foraging for food in the dumpsters and rubbish bins at a nearby shopping centre.

”They stand calmly at the platform and wait for the subway train to arrive. When it does they get on, travel one stop, jump off and then head for their favourite haunts,” Rasmus Sandsten, press spokeperson for underground operator MTR, told The Local.
The pigeons are believed to live somewhere near Farsta Strand, in south Stockholm, and travel daily one stop to nearby shopping centre Farsta Centrum where there are many cafés and plenty of food to be found.

According to Sandsten, the most likely explanation is that one pigeon first got stuck on the metro by accident.

”Then, when it saw where it ended up it thought; 'this was a great idea'. Sooner or later more of them followed suit,” Sandsten said.

However, the birds seem to choose other methods of transport for their return journey.

”We haven't been told of as many incidents of pigeons on the tube on the way back, so we think they fly on their way back,” Sandsten said.

It is not clear how or when these pigeons first started to use public transport, but according to Sandsten, train drivers have said that they have seen pigeons using the Stockholm metro system as early as the 1990's, when a similar pigeon gang regularly roamed the suburb of Hökarängen.

”And since then the birds have been spotted getting on the subway at stations all over Stockholm,” Sandsten said.

AT MTR, the policy among the drivers are to try to shoo away the birds if they happen to see one trying to get on, but not if it would mean that the departure of the train would be delayed.

Biologist Lars-Åke Janzon at the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet), told local paper Mitt i Söderort that although not especially clever, birds are very good at imitating each other's actions.

Therefore, Janzon thinks that tube staff should persevere in their efforts to shoo the birds away, or he fears that the number of pigeons using public transport will grow significantly.

”People are scared of everything, And that will include an enterprising pigeon or two. Many believe they carry disease, but that's not true. Not even their droppings are especially harmful. On the other hand, one might think it is sticky and disgusting if there is a lot of bird poo on the tube,” Janzon told the paper.

However, according to Sandsten drivers are seldom aware of the little stowaways before they get off at their destination.

And so far the company hasn't received one single complaint from passengers about the freeloading birds.

”They behave well while on board and don't seem to be making much of a mess. They also choose to travel later in the day, cleverly avoiding rush hour,” Sandsten told The Local.

Rebecca Martin
http://www.thelocal.se/37278/20111110/#

Poisoned pigeons used to kill wild buzzards

HAND-REARED live pigeons were coated in poison, tethered to the ground and used to kill two wild buzzards near the Tipperary-Offaly border, according to BirdWatch Ireland.

BirdWatch volunteers were horrified to discover the two dead buzzard chicks beside three poisonous tethered pigeons near Roscrea.

BirdWatch Ireland Development Officer Niall Hatch said the banned insecticide Carbofuran used to kill the buzzards is so toxic “a quarter of a teaspoonful is enough to kill a fully grown adult”.

“There is a really serious public safety issue here as well,” he said, “whoever is responsible for planting the poison took a real risk themselves”. Had the pigeons been found by children who attempted to rescue them, “you could be reporting on an even worse story today,” he added.

No motive has yet been established. Buzzards eat rabbits, crows, magpies, rats and mice. They will occasionally feed on a dead lamb, but are incapable of killing a lamb, said Mr Hatch.

An indigenous bird, the buzzard was absent in Ireland from the late 19th century until 1933, when a pair bred in Co Antrim. The species has spread slowly down from the north through the 20th century and is now established in almost every county in Ireland.

BirdWatch Ireland say this was a particularly abhorrent incident.

The live hand-reared pigeons were tethered to the ground s bait, their bodies coated with poison and their wings clipped to prevent any chance of escape.

A day after the dead buzzards were found last month, another live, poison-coated pigeon was discovered tethered in the same area.

The buzzards’ nest in Roscrea was being monitored by two young volunteers from BirdWatch Ireland’s Raptor Conservation Project since early spring. They had been charting the progress of the three young buzzard chicks.

One volunteer said: “we had been watching them all summer and it was sickening to see them killed like that for no reason”.

The farmer on whose land the birds were nesting said: “they have not caused me or any of the other farmers in the area any problems whatsoever. I gave nobody permission to come on my land and lay down poison, and whoever did so was trespassing,” he said.

In October 2010, laws were passed making it illegal to use poison to kill birds or animals, with the exception of rats and mice.

An investigation has been launched and anyone with information is urged to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 057 91 37811 or Birr Garda station on 057 91 69710.

EOGHAN MacCONNELL
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0827/1224303061360.html

Burbank businessman arrested over feeding of birds near airport

Officials worry that hundreds of pigeons flocking near Bob Hope Airport could pose a danger to aircraft.

For nearly a year, officials have been trying to figure out what to do with Charles Douglas.

The 59-year-old owner of Precise Roofing Co. in Burbank has been feeding flocks of pigeons since at least September 2010, officials say, which — beyond violating municipal code — has created a major safety hazard for jet airplanes using the nearby Bob Hope Airport as the birds' numbers have grown into the hundreds.

On Friday, after two court citations and a bench warrant for feeding the pigeons, Burbank police arrested Douglas at his business on Hollywood Way and Tulare Avenue.

Airport police Cmdr. Allen Schmitt said a plane strikes a bird at the airport once every two months on average. But the rate of strikes has increased recently, with five incidents in July alone, he added.

"Most of those were multiple — 10 to 20 to 30 birds at once," Schmitt said. "Now it's becoming extraordinarily dangerous."

In July, a Southwest Airlines flight was diverted to Ontario after it flew into 20 to 30 pigeons during takeoff, he said.

"A pigeon is not a problem, but a flock — that's a problem," he said.

Douglas' arrest was the culmination of months of legal wrangling to stop the feeding.

In December 2010 and again in February, he was found guilty of feeding pigeons so as to create a nuisance, court documents show.

On July 31, Douglas was again cited for feeding pigeons, Schmitt said.

The arrest warrant was issued Aug. 11.

"Our interest in this and the reason we are so invested — we're not talking about 20 or 30 pigeons in the middle of nowhere; there are upward of 200 to 300 to 400 pigeons flying over runways," Schmitt said.

Douglas, a Glendale resident, was arrested on suspicion of disobeying the court order and creating a public nuisance by feeding pigeons, according to police.

Burbank Assistant City Atty. Denny Wei said the maximum penalty for a conviction on one of the misdemeanors is six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

For Douglas' employees, and those who work at adjacent businesses, the arrest was a surprise.

Jared Garay, who works at the nearby Hub Network, said he regularly saw "more birds than you're ever gonna see in most circumstances."

"I always wondered why all these birds are there," he added.

White streaks of bird feces coat the black gates behind Precise Roofing Co. Gray and white feathers dot the sidewalk.

Chaz Miseroy, an employee at the motorcycle shop next to Dougals' roofing company, said he had seen a lot of pigeons but never saw any feedings.

"Whether it's true or not, I don't know," Miseroy said. "If it is true, what's more important? Feeding birds that can feed themselves or risking the lives of people on a plane?"

Multiple attempts to reach Douglas were unsuccessful.

Bird strikes can cause significant damage to an airplane, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, recalling that about 11 years ago, a plane leaving Los Angeles International Airport hit a bird, damaging the engine and causing chunks of it to rain down on Dockweiler State Beach, near picnickers.

Bob Hope and other commercial airports are required to have wildlife mitigation plans, but those requirements don't apply outside airport grounds, Gregor said.

"Obviously it's not a good idea to attract wildlife to areas around the airport. Threats of a bird strike are a very real one," he said.
By Maria Hsin, Los Angeles Times

August 22, 2011

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bob-hope-pigeons-20110822,0,1666029..story

Lost racing pigeon turns up in Panama

A British racing pigeon called Houdini got lost on her first race - and ended up 5,200 miles away in Panama City.


The 10 month-old bird was supposed to be in a six hour race from Guernsey to Dudley, reports the Daily Mirror.

But she failed to arrive and its owner Darren Cubberly, 45, had give up hope the bird would return from the 224 mile trip.

He was surprised to get a phone call this week from Panama City, where the bird had ended up.

He was told the bird was alive and healthy despite her mammoth trip. It's thought she landed on a ship travelling to the area.

The bird had been taken in by Gustavo Ortiz after she landed on his roof. Mr Ortiz rang Mr Cubberly after noticing contact numbers on it.

"I was gobsmacked. I didn't even know where Panama was," said Mr Cubberley.

"I've no idea how Houdini got there - I can only assume she hitched a lift on a ship across the Atlantic."

He believes she must have been fed on the boat as she appeared to be in "perfect shape".

The pigeon, now reportedly learning Spanish, will stay with her new family in Panama as it's too expensive to ship her home.

Lost racing pigeon turns up in Panama

A British racing pigeon called Houdini got lost on her first race - and ended up 5,200 miles away in Panama City.


The 10 month-old bird was supposed to be in a six hour race from Guernsey to Dudley, reports the Daily Mirror.

But she failed to arrive and its owner Darren Cubberly, 45, had give up hope the bird would return from the 224 mile trip.

He was surprised to get a phone call this week from Panama City, where the bird had ended up.

He was told the bird was alive and healthy despite her mammoth trip. It's thought she landed on a ship travelling to the area.

The bird had been taken in by Gustavo Ortiz after she landed on his roof. Mr Ortiz rang Mr Cubberly after noticing contact numbers on it.

"I was gobsmacked. I didn't even know where Panama was," said Mr Cubberley.

"I've no idea how Houdini got there - I can only assume she hitched a lift on a ship across the Atlantic."

He believes she must have been fed on the boat as she appeared to be in "perfect shape".

The pigeon, now reportedly learning Spanish, will stay with her new family in Panama as it's too expensive to ship her home.

Going, going, GONE! Pigeon shuns chance of great escape after being scooped up by hungry pelican in London park

When a pigeon was gobbled up by a greedy pelican, it looked like instant game over for the little bird.


But when the predator unexpectedly opened up his huge beak again, the pigeon was given a chance to save himself and fly away.

Confusingly, however, the dopey bird instead chose to simply sit in the beak taking in the view - and missed his only opportunity to escape.

Not surprisingly, he was eaten up.

Photographer Paul Mansfield, 44, captured the remarkable scene while on a day trip to London with his family.


The pigeon had been pecking at crumbs in St James' Park, Westminster, when he was targeted by the pelican.

Mr Mansfield said: 'I noticed a small crowd gathered at the side of a lake that was 'oohing' and 'arghing'.

'On closer inspection I could see what all the fuss was about.

'On the grassy bank a pelican had managed to gobble up a pigeon.'

Mr Mansfield, from Brighton, East Sussex, added: 'The crowd was willing it to escape, with shouts of "Come on, you can do it!".'


'During one such moment the pigeon stood inside the peak, head peering out, with its body silhouetted on the pelican's pouch.

'There was another big gulp and you could see the pigeon slide further down the pouch.

'Then another and it was gone. There were gasps of disbelief from many in the crowd.'

Unbelievably the same pelican then gulped another bird nearby and the whole process started again.

Mr Mansfield said: 'I had seen enough and headed for more pleasant vistas along the South Bank.'

 

Going, going, GONE! Pigeon shuns chance of great escape after being scooped up by hungry pelican in London park

When a pigeon was gobbled up by a greedy pelican, it looked like instant game over for the little bird.


But when the predator unexpectedly opened up his huge beak again, the pigeon was given a chance to save himself and fly away.

Confusingly, however, the dopey bird instead chose to simply sit in the beak taking in the view - and missed his only opportunity to escape.

Not surprisingly, he was eaten up.

Photographer Paul Mansfield, 44, captured the remarkable scene while on a day trip to London with his family.


The pigeon had been pecking at crumbs in St James' Park, Westminster, when he was targeted by the pelican.

Mr Mansfield said: 'I noticed a small crowd gathered at the side of a lake that was 'oohing' and 'arghing'.

'On closer inspection I could see what all the fuss was about.

'On the grassy bank a pelican had managed to gobble up a pigeon.'

Mr Mansfield, from Brighton, East Sussex, added: 'The crowd was willing it to escape, with shouts of "Come on, you can do it!".'


'During one such moment the pigeon stood inside the peak, head peering out, with its body silhouetted on the pelican's pouch.

'There was another big gulp and you could see the pigeon slide further down the pouch.

'Then another and it was gone. There were gasps of disbelief from many in the crowd.'

Unbelievably the same pelican then gulped another bird nearby and the whole process started again.

Mr Mansfield said: 'I had seen enough and headed for more pleasant vistas along the South Bank.'

 

Pigeon beats internet

17 September 2010 16:30 GMT

A carrier pigeon has proved faster than a broadband internet connection in a rural English area.

A race was set up between a remote farm in Beverly, East Yorkshire, Northern England and Skegness, a seaside town in Lincolnshire, 120km away.

10 pigeons were affixed with USB memory ticks containing a five minute video, then released at the same time a computer in Beverly started uploading the same video to the internet.

Some 80 minutes later when the pigeons started arriving at their destination, the video - sized around 300MB - was only 24 per cent complete.

The experiment was carried out to highlight the poor quality of internet service in remote areas of the UK.

Campaign organiser Michelle Brumfield said: "The issue is so widespread some areas are being called 'notspots' - as in the opposite of hotspots."

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/198083-pigeon-beats-internet/

Pigeon beats internet

17 September 2010 16:30 GMT

A carrier pigeon has proved faster than a broadband internet connection in a rural English area.

A race was set up between a remote farm in Beverly, East Yorkshire, Northern England and Skegness, a seaside town in Lincolnshire, 120km away.

10 pigeons were affixed with USB memory ticks containing a five minute video, then released at the same time a computer in Beverly started uploading the same video to the internet.

Some 80 minutes later when the pigeons started arriving at their destination, the video - sized around 300MB - was only 24 per cent complete.

The experiment was carried out to highlight the poor quality of internet service in remote areas of the UK.

Campaign organiser Michelle Brumfield said: "The issue is so widespread some areas are being called 'notspots' - as in the opposite of hotspots."

http://entertainment.stv.tv/showbiz/198083-pigeon-beats-internet/

Man possibly killed by pigeon poo

Ted Thornhill - 17th August, 2010

An inquest is looking at what part multiple pigeon droppings played in the demise of a man in Sydney who was crushed to death by a shop awning.

As deaths go, it would certainly rank as one of the more bizarre ones if the bird droppings were found to be culpable.

Craig Taylor was sheltering under said awning on December 7 2007 at Balgowlah, during a storm, when it collapsed.

It was known to contain a large quantity of pigeon droppings, from birds that had made the awning their home.

Some live birds and nests were even found in the wreckage.

The council is examining whether a combination of rain water and the droppings were too much for the awning’s stuts to take.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/838313-man-possibly-killed-by-pigeon-poo

Pigeon poopers spoil Kings of Leon gig

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0726/breaking21.html

Pigeon poopers spoil Kings of Leon gig

Kings of Leon abandoned a concert due to pigeon droppingsKings of Leon abandoned
a concert due to pigeon droppings

American rock band Kings of Leon said they were forced to abandon a concert in
St Louis, Missouri, at the weekend after three songs because pigeons kept
pooping on them from the rafters.

The band left the stage at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on Friday after
bass player Jared Followill was hit in the face by one dropping.

"Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when
he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn't deal
any longer," the Nashville band's publicist, Any Mendelsohn, said in a statement.

"It's not only disgusting - it's a toxic hazard. They really tried to hang in
there."

Drummer Nathan Followill apologised on Twitter to fans of the Grammy-winning
band which is made up of three Followill brothers and their cousin Matthew who
plays lead guitar.

"So sorry St Louis. We had to bail, pigeons s***ing in Jared's mouth and it was
too unsanitary to continue," he wrote. "Don't take it out on Jared . . . Sorry
for all who (travelled) many miles."

The band will continue its US tour in Cleveland, Ohio, today to promote their
fourth album Only By The Night before heading to Canada and Britain.

Metropolitan Pigeon

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/nyregion/05diary.html?ref=nyregion

New York Times 5 July 2010
Metropolitan Diary

[...]

Dear Diary:

My morning commute to work on the M train is usually uneventful. Apart from one day several weeks ago.

At Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a pigeon flew into the back end of the car and just stood there for a moment, looking down the car, is if deciding what to do next.

As the subway moved from that station to the next, the pigeon, calmly, slowly, confidently, walked to the front of the car, just as any regular straphanger would. It would stop every few feet and glance around at the passengers, who were sitting silently, eyes fixed upon the bird. No one said a word.

As the train pulled into the Central Avenue station, the pigeon calmly walked to the door in the front and waited for it to open. Then it flew away, just another passenger - here one minute, gone the next -
to continue with its life. -- Bartosz Dunin

Pigeon-feeder gets bird Asbo

A bird-lover has been hit with an Asbo to stop her feeding more than 300 pigeons on her roof.

Christine Foreman was warned she could be jailed if she uses bread crumbs to entice the flock again.

The 55-year-old said: ‘I am afraid if I don’t feed the pigeons they would starve.’

But Steve Finlay, one of her neighbours in Croydon, south London, said: ‘It’s horrendous... hundreds of pigeons descend on her house and garden and just stay there all day eating the bread.’

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/831000-pigeon-feeder-gets-bird-asbo

Portland man creates memorial to heroic pigeons

Neville Walbridge will be creating a headstone in memory of the pigeons that acted as messengers in the Second World War

10:00am Sunday 7th March 2010
By Lucy Pearce

A PIGEON fancier is sculpting a memorial for the pigeons that acted as messengers during the war.

Neville Walbridge, 71, of Portland, will be creating a headstone that will list the names of the 32 pigeons that received the Dickin Medal – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross – for their work in the Second World War.

Mr Walbridge, who worked in the masonry and sculpture trade for most of his life, said the headstone should be finished by the summer and he hopes it will then be placed in Bletchley Park, the National Codes Centre, near Milton Keynes.

The site race controller for the Royal Pigeon Race Association (RPRA) said he became interested in pigeons when he found one holding a secret message in his back garden in 1942.

He said: “I was about four years old when I noticed a pigeon walking about.

“He looked tired so I put him in the chicken pen and took care of him.

“My father noticed he had a cylinder on his leg, which is where the messages were kept, and he took him down to Portland dockyard where the commanding officer of the Navy took him away.

“I was upset at the time but when the war was over he brought me six pigeons.”

Mr Walbridge added: “If we want to send or receive secret messages there’s only one way of doing it and that’s through a racing pigeon.

“Every other method that is electronic can be tracked.

“The pigeons saved hundreds of people’s lives.”

Kelsey Griffin, director of museum operations at Bletchley Park, said: “A memorial to them is incredibly appreciated.”

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/localnews/5044803.Portland_man_creates_memorial_to_heroic_pigeons/
(Submitted by Mark North)

Britons convicted of pigeon tossing

17 November 2009

Two British men have been fined by a court in Poland for pigeon tossing.

The pair threw the birds up in to the air in historic Krakow's Renaissance market on October 24.
The pigeon tossers, both aged 24, from Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals.

According to local reports the stunned birds were not able to open their wings and fell to the ground, breaking their wings.

Prosecutor Boguslawa Marcinkowska said the men were both fined 600 zlotys (£130) each.

She identified them as Lee James W of Ulverston and Arron David P of Barrow-in-Furness, but did not give their last names in line with Polish privacy law.

She also said she did not know whether the pigeons survived.

The Foreign Office said the consulate in Poland was not informed of the court hearing.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091117/tuk-britons-convicted-of-pigeon-tossing-6323e80.html

Britons convicted of pigeon tossing

17 November 2009

Two British men have been fined by a court in Poland for pigeon tossing.

The pair threw the birds up in to the air in historic Krakow's Renaissance market on October 24.
The pigeon tossers, both aged 24, from Ulverston and Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a charge of cruelty to animals.

According to local reports the stunned birds were not able to open their wings and fell to the ground, breaking their wings.

Prosecutor Boguslawa Marcinkowska said the men were both fined 600 zlotys (£130) each.

She identified them as Lee James W of Ulverston and Arron David P of Barrow-in-Furness, but did not give their last names in line with Polish privacy law.

She also said she did not know whether the pigeons survived.

The Foreign Office said the consulate in Poland was not informed of the court hearing.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20091117/tuk-britons-convicted-of-pigeon-tossing-6323e80.html

Rare pigeon hatches at London zoo

Curator praises 'fantastic accomplishment' as bird team engineers breeding despite falling numbers worldwide

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 October 2009

RIGHT: The newly-hatched Victoria crowned pigeon is the very first of its kind to have been bred at London Zoo. Photograph: Zoological Society of London

It may be declining rapidly in the wild, but a colourful species known as the Victoria crowned pigeon is proving a welcome addition to the bird collection at London Zoo.

One of the rare breed, which sports cyan blue feathers, an auburn chest, tall plume and orange eyes, hatched last month and is the first of its kind to have been bred at the zoo.

It left the nest for the first time this week and has been exploring the surroundings of the Blackburn Pavilion exhibit.

The Victoria crowned pigeon, renowned for its dedicated parenting, mates for life with both parents continuing to care for chicks up to three months after they fly the nest. At present the chick – whose sex is still unknown – and its parents are the only examples of the species at the zoo.

The chick is only 20cm tall and eats fruit, grains and seeds, but will grow to 70cm – making the crowned pigeon, which originates from New Guinea, the largest members of the pigeon family. When fully grown, an adult specimen will be roughly the same height as a turkey.

"To breed the Victoria crowned pigeon is a fantastic accomplishment for our bird team, especially as this species is rapidly declining in the wild," said senior curator John Ellis.

"ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is part of a European breeding programme for this species, and our chick will help form a very important captive, back-up population."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/08/rare-pigeon-species-breed-zoo

See also: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6867165.ece

Rare pigeon hatches at London zoo

Curator praises 'fantastic accomplishment' as bird team engineers breeding despite falling numbers worldwide

guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 October 2009

RIGHT: The newly-hatched Victoria crowned pigeon is the very first of its kind to have been bred at London Zoo. Photograph: Zoological Society of London

It may be declining rapidly in the wild, but a colourful species known as the Victoria crowned pigeon is proving a welcome addition to the bird collection at London Zoo.

One of the rare breed, which sports cyan blue feathers, an auburn chest, tall plume and orange eyes, hatched last month and is the first of its kind to have been bred at the zoo.

It left the nest for the first time this week and has been exploring the surroundings of the Blackburn Pavilion exhibit.

The Victoria crowned pigeon, renowned for its dedicated parenting, mates for life with both parents continuing to care for chicks up to three months after they fly the nest. At present the chick – whose sex is still unknown – and its parents are the only examples of the species at the zoo.

The chick is only 20cm tall and eats fruit, grains and seeds, but will grow to 70cm – making the crowned pigeon, which originates from New Guinea, the largest members of the pigeon family. When fully grown, an adult specimen will be roughly the same height as a turkey.

"To breed the Victoria crowned pigeon is a fantastic accomplishment for our bird team, especially as this species is rapidly declining in the wild," said senior curator John Ellis.

"ZSL (Zoological Society of London) is part of a European breeding programme for this species, and our chick will help form a very important captive, back-up population."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/08/rare-pigeon-species-breed-zoo

See also: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6867165.ece

Rare pair of passenger pigeons arrive at Bruce Museum

9 October 2009
By Anne W. Semmes

There's no more powerful example of how a species can be brought to extinction than that of the once abundant, and exclusively North American, passenger pigeon. It is said that no other bird has ever approached its fantastic numbers. And now they are gone.

However, a rare pair of passenger pigeons, or as Linnaeus would say, Ectopistes migratorius, are on display at the Bruce Museum. The two birds (both male) are mounted in a position similar to that in a painting by John James Audubon, who had an in-depth knowledge of the birds.

In the display, one bird is offering an acorn to the other. Alongside the birds is a fine and newly acquired reproduction print of Audubon's Plate LXII, "Passenger Pigeon, Columba Migratoria," from his double elephant folio edition, "The Birds of America" (London, 1827-1838).

The Bruce acquired the two male passenger pigeons five years ago in a specimen exchange between the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Ornithology and the Bruce's Science Department. This year, the Bruce purchased the companion Audubon print from a set of newly created high-resolution digital images -- full size at 26 by 38 inches -- of the original works of art as scanned by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Research Library.

As its Latin name denotes, the passenger pigeon was a migratory bird, moving across America in search of food, numbering in the billions and living in large colonies of hundreds of thousands. The birds There's no more powerful example of how a species can be brought to extinction than that of the once abundant, and exclusively North American, passenger pigeon. It is said that no other bird has ever approached its fantastic numbers. And now they are gone.

However, a rare pair of passenger pigeons, or as Linnaeus would say, Ectopistes migratorius, are on display at the Bruce Museum. The two birds (both male) are mounted in a position similar to that in a painting by John James Audubon, who had an in-depth knowledge of the birds.

In the display, one bird is offering an acorn to the other. Alongside the birds is a fine and newly acquired reproduction print of Audubon's Plate LXII, "Passenger Pigeon, Columba Migratoria," from his double elephant folio edition, "The Birds of America" (London, 1827-1838).

The Bruce acquired the two male passenger pigeons five years ago in a specimen exchange between the American Museum of Natural History's Department of Ornithology and the Bruce's Science Department. This year, the Bruce purchased the companion Audubon print from a set of newly created high-resolution digital images -- full size at 26 by 38 inches -- of the original works of art as scanned by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Research Library.

As its Latin name denotes, the passenger pigeon was a migratory bird, moving across America in search of food, numbering in the billions and living in large colonies of hundreds of thousands. The birds traditionally nested east of the Rockies, northward into the hardwood forests of eastern Canada, with nesting colonies 20-miles across.

Beginning in the mid-19th century, the passenger pigeon, however abundant, was being shot out of the sky, while their forests were falling to the axe.

The last passenger pigeon alive in captivity, named Martha after Martha Washington, died at 29 years old in the Cincinnati Zoological Garden -- in 1914.

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