Kereru or New Zealand Pigeons
(Columbidae - Please see also Doves)
Pigeon Information ... Pigeon Heroes: Pigeons Intelligence & Amazing Facts about Pigeons .... Pigeon Species / Breeds ... Photo Gallery (Photos of Pigeons with Links to Species Pages) ... All About Pigeons: DVDs and Books for Pigeon Lovers - Now available in: 
, 
, 
, 
The Kererū or New Zealand Pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae novaseelandiae (Gmelin)) is a bird endemic to New Zealand. The Māori name is Kererū in the South Island and much of the North Island. Other Māori names for the bird are kūkupa (in parts of the North Island) and kūkū (Northland). New Zealand pigeons are commonly called wood pigeons, though they are not the same as the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) which is a member of a different genus.
The kererū belongs to the family Columbidae, and the subfamily Treroninae, which is found throughout Southeast Asia, Malaya, Africa and New Zealand. The members of this subfamily feed largely on fruits mainly drupes (Falla et al. 1979). New Zealand pigeons are members of the pigeon genus Hemiphaga (Bonaparte, 1854, this is a monotypic (one single species) genus endemic to the New Zealand archipelago and Norfolk Island, however recently a Hemiphaga bone was found on Raoul Island (Worthy and Brassey 2000).
Description
The New Zealand pigeons are a large (550 to 850 g) arboreal (lives in trees) fruit-pigeon (Clout 1990) that is found in forests from Northland to Stewart Island, ranging in habitats from coastal to montane (Clout et al. 1986). The general morphology is that of a typical pigeon, in that it has a relatively small head, a straight soft-based bill and loosely attached feathers. It also displays typical pigeon behaviour, which includes drinking by suction, a wing-threat display, hitting with the wing when threatened, a diving display flight, a ‘bowing’ display, ritualised preening and ‘billing’ during courtship. New Zealand pigeons build flimsy, shallow, twiggy nests and feed crop milk to hatchlings (Falla et al. 1979; James 1995).
The New Zealand pigeons are the second largest members of the family Columbidae. Kererū grows to some 51 cm (20 in) in length and 650 g in weight on the mainland, and parea 55 cm (22 in) and 800 g on the Chatham Islands. The head, throat and wings are generally a shiny green-purple color, but with a bronze tinge to the feathers on the mainland and an ashy-grey wash on the Chathams. The breast is typically white and the bill red with an orange-ish tip. The feet and eye are red. Juvenilles have a similar coloration but are generally paler with dull colors for the beak, eyes and feet and a shorter tail.
The New Zealand pigeons make occasional soft coo sounds (hence the onomatopoeic names), and the wings make a very distinctive whooshing sound as they fly. The bird's flight is also very distinctive - birds will often ascend slowly before making impressively steep parabolic dives, this thought to be often associated with nesting, or nest failure.
Diet
The New Zealand pigeons are commonly known as frugivorous, primarily eating fruits from native trees. They play an important ecological role, as they are the only birds capable of eating the largest (smallest diameter greater than 1cm) native fruits and drupes and thus spreading the seeds intact. While fruit comprises the major part of their diets, the New Zealand pigeon also browses on leaves and buds, especially nitrogen rich foliage during breeding. One of their favorite leaves to eat is from an introduced plant the common plum tree. The diet changes seasonally as the availabiltiy of fruit changes, and leaves can comprise the major part of the diet at certain times of the year, such as when there is little fruit around (O'Donnel & Dilks 1994).
Breeding
Breeding generally depends on the occurrence of ripe fruit, which varies seasonally, annually (good years and bad years), and by location. New Zealand pigeons, like other frugivorous pigeons, feed on many species with tropical affinities, including the Lauraceae and Arecaceae (Bell 1996; Clout and Hay 1989; Clout et al. 1991; McEwen 1978) but live in the temperate forest of New Zealand and also feed on podocarp species, thought to be elements of Gondwana, such as miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) and Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) (Clout and Hay 1989; Clout et al. 1991; Clout and Tilley 1992; McEwen 1978). A complete list of fruits taken by kererū can be found below. The more tropical tree species are restricted to the warmer norther half of the North Island, and in these regions pigeons can nest nearly all year round provided enough fruit is available. Further south many tropical tree species are missing and in these areas breeding usually occurs between October (early spring) and April (late summer/early autumn), again depending on fruit availability.
New Zealand pigeons nest in trees, laying a single egg, in a flimsy nest constructed of a few twigs thrown together. The egg is incubated for 28 days. The young bird then takes another 36 days to fledge. In seasons of plentiful fruit the pigeons can successfully nest more than once.
Distribution and conservation
The population of the Kererū dropped considerably since the arrival of humans in New Zealand, and this decline continues, especially in the North Island, but is still relatively common in the west of the South Island and in coastal Otago. They are commonly found in native forests (lowlands in particular), scrub, rural and city gardens and parks.
The introduced Australian common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and introduced species of rats (mainly the ship or black rat (Rattus rattus) but also the kiore or Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)) have significantly reduced the amount of fruit available for pigeons and other native birds and also prey upon eggs and nestlings.
Pigeon populations are under also threat from hunting, habitat degradation and poor reproductive success (Clout et al. 1995a; Clout et al. 1995b; Clout and Saunders 1995). Pigeons were very numerous until about the 1860s and large flocks used to congregate in fruiting trees to feed (Best 1977). Restrictions on the shooting of pigeons were necessary as early as 1864, with total protection since 1921 (Falla et al. 1979), although the enforcement against hunting was not consistent.
Subspecies
There are three known subspecies of New Zealand pigeon, H. n. novaseelandiae of mainland New Zealand is the most numerous. The other two subspecies are H.n. chathamensis of the Chatham Islands and H.n. spadicea of Norfolk Island, which is now extinct. The subspecies differ in their plumage color and physical morphology (James 1995). It has been suggested that the differences between H. n. novaeseelandiae and H. n. chathamensis or parea on the Chatham Islands are sufficient to raise the latter to full species status (Millener and Powlesland 2001).
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Personality & Pet Potential:
Elizabeth Young, Mickaboo Pigeon & Dove Coordinator, provides the following info:
Pigeons need:
- Safe place (indoors or outdoors, protected from weather and predators)
- Room to move (a space that is 3’ high, 3’ wide, 6’ long is good for 1 to 2 birds)
- Fresh food (pigeon feed), water, grit & greens daily
- Easy clean-up floor &/or Pigeon Pants (www.birdwearonline.com)
- Company (either yours or another pigeon’s)
- Family planning (if you have a mated pair, you need to replace real eggs w/ fake ones)
- Avian Vet Care if they become sick or injured
To adopt a pigeon, contact Elizabeth at AdoptKings@gmail.com or (415) 420-7204
For more info:
- Come meet King Pigeons at Andy’s Pet Shop on 1280 The Alameda (at Julian) in San Jose
- Visit Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue at www.mickaboo.org
- Check out www.pigeons.biz/forums (a great web group with lots of info and resources) Read about King Pigeon rescue at www.RescueReport.org
Pigeon Rescue:
Mickaboo Pigeon & Dove Coordinator - Contact: Elizabeth Young
Relevant Web Resources: Mangoverde
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
