Hi,
Sorry we don't have a photo - though we had an unusual bird on our back porch for most of the afternoon today (Point Cook, VIC).
It had a pure white head, possible white belly & tail, chocolate brown back (with purple iridescence) and brown wings down to black tips. (looked like it was wearing a cloak). Fluffly black feathers around legs with black claws. Straight, small light orange beak.
It was puffing itself up, and was around 25-30cm tall.
It also had a metal tag on its left ankle.
We've searched almost every image of Australian / Victorian birds and cannot find it!
It wasn't a white headed pidgeon, or a bird of prey of any kind that we could determine.
I am thinking that your bird is most likely an escapee from someone’s aviary and probably not native. Sorry I am not much help. I will try to do some searching. May be one of the other members who is more experienced will know the answer.
Cheers, Jackie.
Hi. It's a hard one my first guess was wrong .
See it! Hear it!
Mid-North Coast NSW
Thanks, we thought that may be the case. If it turns up again we'll take a photo...
i reckon its a Feral pidgeon aka domestic pidgeon aka 15 other names :p nearly everything matches,especially the brown back with purple iridescence
i believe they can have white heads as well as some pretty unusual feather patterns
I reckon Nathan's spot on. Feral Pigeons vary hugely so you can expect many different and unusual colour combinations.
Cheers, Owen.
Sounds logical :) Though the wife (I'm posting on her behalf as she saw the bird) is adamant that it wasnt a domestic pidgeon after looking at lots of breads online. Didnt have the body shape, beak or feet of a pidgeon.... It also didnt cooed like a pidgeon, but rather a soft caw at the other birds...
ok after further discussion, I reckon case closed it was a domestic pidgeon.
I think it became obvious after my google image searches kept returning pics of a bald eagle, and she said "yes exactly like that, but with a pidgeons head" ;)