Crested pigeons and rock pigeons seem pretty similiar in their habits. Yet they rarely seem to coexist. At a school I work at there are several crested pigeons who seem to have the run of the place, and I don't see rock pigeons there, which suggests the crested pigeons chase them away. But at the same time crested pigeons obviously don't exploit all the areas rock pigeons do. What are the constraints on crested pigeons?
Interesting question, paulhugan.
Rock pigeons are a feral species introduced to Australia & have tended to occupy ecological niches where humans live. So they're common around cities & towns & their hinterlands although they also live on cliff faces & sand dunes.
Crested pigeons are originally from Australia's dry interior but have spread to more coastal regions since the advent of European agricuLture practices.
This suggests there is now some overlap in their territories & ecological niches which has led to competition for resources. I'm not sure which is the more dominant species. I can only say that as the natural habitat has developed at my place in SA the Crested Pigeons have been seen far more often than the feral Rock Pigeons sightings of whichever are few & far between now. Perhaps natural food sources & habitat advantage Crested Pigeons more so than Rock Pigeons whereas the reverse might be the case where there are unnatural food sources such as at grain silos which provide good roosting & nesting for Rock Pigeons as well as introduced grains.
Hi, Woko,
The point is that in this instance the crested pigeons are inhabiting a school ground in the inner-city. There are the usual (unnatural) pickings there. And the surfaces are all artificial, including the kind of fake grass/carpet stuff. Yes, there is a sportsground next door, which the school uses. But otherwise everything would seem to favour rock pigeons. Instead, the crested pigeons are pretty much the only birds I see, which suggests they keep other birds away. I've never seen them actually being agressive, but I wonder if they are in fact territorial?
Territoriality isn't something I've associated with Crested Pigeons, paulhugan. However, they may display territoriality in subtle ways which only careful observation might reveal.
The Crested Pigeons being on their own might also suggest that for some reason the habitat suits them rather than the Rock Pigeons. I'm aware that Crested Pigeons really like feeding on the weed Winter Grass which might be in the sports ground. Have you seen Crested Pigeons feeding there?
Hmmm...I haven't seen them feeding there because I don't use that space much. Do they eat the grass itself or do they feed on the seeds?
In regards to the feral rock pigeons I am glad to see nsw state rail has taken steps to stop this pest roosting on railway station buildings since the pigeons were leaving their droppings everywhere potentially spreading zoonotic diseases to humans.Also our coulcil is trapping all the feral rock pigeons that congregate in local public parks where they spend all day on the ground waiting to be fed and leaving their droppings on the public seats,tables and lawn where people sit and children play.Again another good measure to stopping zoonotic diseases spreading to humans.As for crested pigeons,they fortunately are still wild enough to roost in the trees away from human habitation and therefore don't pose a problem.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
male crested pigeons can be extremely aggressive during breeding
some aviculturalists keep them in an exclusive enclosure lest the male kill every other bird in the aviary.
i read online one killed a peacock.
Paulhughan, this late winter & early spring I've been watching Crested Pigeons, Wood Ducks & Adelaide Rosellas feeding on what seem to have been both flowers & seeds of Winter Grass although I suspect it's seeds that they've been after.
Doublebar, it's great to learn that your council is cracking down on feral pigeons for whatever reason. Making ecological room for native pigeons & doves would seem to be a good thing to do. Providing natural rather than exotic habitat would be a great second step in encouraging the native species.
Ooooo...kay. Zosterops, I guess that explains a lot. So much for the doves of peace!
The Peaceful Dove can also be extremely aggressive
mind you most of these observations are of captive birds held in confined quarters and don't necessarily translate to the wild (though I've seen wild Crested Pigeons chase other birds away from the nest), though at other times I've seen them form mixed flocks with Spotted Doves.