The ‘Victoria Crowned Pigeon’ Is One Of The Most Beautiful Birds Ever And Can Grow To The Size Of A Turkey
No one would probably argue that humans are naturally attracted to beautiful things. And how else could it possibly be when we live on this gorgeous planet where every corner is beaming with nature’s splendid creations, whether that be a scalding hot African desert or a tropical forest soaking with rainwater. It’s all very different but undoubtedly unique in the craziest ways. Its no wonder why some say nature is the world’s greatest artist, and we completely agree with that. We have loads of beautiful nature artifacts here on Bored Panda, but today’s story is wonderful proof of how spectacular it can be.
Image credits: The Virginia Zoo
This exotic bird here is a Victoria Crowned Pigeon. And we realize the sight of it is nothing you would expect after reading ‘a pigeon bird.’ It really is distinct with its bright blue feathers and a beautiful crown on top of its head. It belongs to a Goura family of four unique-looking, ground-dwelling types of pigeons. They are also quite big birds as they could reach the size of a turkey!
Image credits: The Virginia Zoo
Image credits: Laura Wolf
These particular beautiful birds are native to the New Guinea region and got its distinct name to commemorate a great historical figure – the British Queen Victoria, who ruled the UK in the last decades of the nineteenth century.
Image credits: Laura Wolf
Image credits: Sandy Cole
The rare birds are hard to spot roaming wildly as they are the least occurring of all the three crowned pigeon species but are most widely bred in captivity. Deforestation is a great threat to their habitat, and therefore, the species is included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Near Threatened.
Image credits: Kitty Schweizer
Image credits: Bernard Dupont
The fact that female beauties lay only one egg per mating season is not really helping their survival as well. Furthermore, their mating dance is as intricate as one could expect from such a fancy, colorful bird.
Image credits: Dennis Jarvis
Image credits: Derek Ramsey
As he approaches the female during courtship, the male Victoria Crowned Pigeon Male bows his head in order to show off his best feature – the spectacular crest. And what ritual would it be without a distinct mating song and a good choreography of rhythmically swinging while intensely wagging its tail like the splendid creature he is. Nature sure is a magician!
Image credits: Heather Paul
Image credits: Jimmy Palma Gil
Image credits: cuatrok77
Image credits: Valerie
Image credits: Edith Maracle (Berghout)
Image credits: saebaryo
Image credits: Cloudtail the Snow Leopard
Image credits: Terry Kearney
Image credits: cuatrok77
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: cuatrok77
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It's not even the most beautiful pigeon—check out this Nicobar Pigeon: r86or7n6wsa11.jpg 
I love every kind of pigeon. I think they're all beautiful, especially the common pigeon found everywhere in the world. It's funny how so many people hate the animals that live near to them, particularly in cities. I'd rather be around pigeons than some people.
I totally agree! Pigeons are so amazing and hardy creatures to adapt to our living spaces and cities. Even though they poop alot! I always see them nestled near windows, or tall old buildings. They're very observant birds from a distance too, I also learned pigeon moms feed their young crop milk!! Incredible! Their full of surprises too, I fed a pigeon pomegranate seeds once, it was the cutest thing ever and he was so inquisitive <3
Load More Replies...
Look at this gorgeous Resplendent Quetzal... CR-Quetzal...012eca.jpg 
Quetzals [Trogonidae] are gorgeous...but they’re not in the pigeon family [Columbidae]
Load More Replies...
Ah imagine if we had these Pigeons in the uk instead of the regular ones :) walking out of m&s and seeing these wandering around the streets would be epic
Would they survive the weather? New Guinea is tropical.
Load More Replies...
I am pretty (okay, very) scared of pigeons. Once I visited a very small "zoo", if you can call it that. They had butterflies, fish, ray's, birds that spend most of their time in trees and 2 Victoria Crowned Pigeons. I was mesmerized by those 2 wonderful birds. At the time I was there I did not even know they were pigeons. They are so different to most pigeons. They left me alone, but one of them kept trying to eat my husbands leg-hair, lol. After I found out they were pigeons, I was kind of "proud" I had been around a pigeon without being scared! I know I am weird. I am looking forward to visit that place / "zoo" again! And see all those wonderful creatures including those beautiful pigeons again! I never thought I would look forward to seeing pigeons. Normally I avoid them at all cost! But I love these ones!
Something cool like this always has a reason you can't have one, lol.
i have a national geographic picture of one of these in my room. we have these at the aviary and i love them so much!
They had one of these (maybe a pair) in the indoor conservatory of a zoo I once visited. Gorgeous birds.
That is really the most stupid thing to say. No, you do not NEED one. You WANT one because you've seen a beautiful picture and you are used to buying anything you want. With more people like you, this already threatened species would promptly disappear...
Load More Replies...
Totally up for passing legislation to replace all manky British pigeons with these beauties!!!
I had a manicure done based on this beautiful pigeon: on each nail blue as the feathers with a red dot with a black dot in the center inspired by its eyes.
They have these things at the North Carolina zoo, and they are huge. And do not move for the patrons. People just walked around them
I love all birds, many are rather beautiful, as a child I lived in an area where the common pigeons were plentiful, and I could pick them up, I brought one home and mom nearly in hysterics, I thought I had a new pet, and what I have read most birds are clever, the nature shows on T.V. allow us the joy to see many gorgeous birds, such a treat !!!
Hi I raise racing pigeons and had pigeons all my life.I would never believe that that is a pigeon so beautiful thank you for your information!!
The wonderful diversity of the animals, birds etc is being destroyed by our stupidity and greed. I grieve for my grandchildren and their children who will experience more devastation and extinction of our flora and fauna. Remember the song, that included the line, “they put all the trees in a tree museum and charged a dollar and a half just to see them”. So damn true!
These birds are so beautiful and it is so sad that their natural habitit like that of many many other birds animals and insects are being destroyed by humans. It is so wrong on every level. I hope that one day we can have a world where the love of the Natural World comes waaayy before profit. And I hope by then it will not be too late.
Absolutely beautiful, the secretarybird has some serious competition.
It's not even the most beautiful pigeon—check out this Nicobar Pigeon: r86or7n6wsa11.jpg
I love every kind of pigeon. I think they're all beautiful, especially the common pigeon found everywhere in the world. It's funny how so many people hate the animals that live near to them, particularly in cities. I'd rather be around pigeons than some people.
I totally agree! Pigeons are so amazing and hardy creatures to adapt to our living spaces and cities. Even though they poop alot! I always see them nestled near windows, or tall old buildings. They're very observant birds from a distance too, I also learned pigeon moms feed their young crop milk!! Incredible! Their full of surprises too, I fed a pigeon pomegranate seeds once, it was the cutest thing ever and he was so inquisitive <3
Load More Replies... Look at this gorgeous Resplendent Quetzal... CR-Quetzal...012eca.jpg
Quetzals [Trogonidae] are gorgeous...but they’re not in the pigeon family [Columbidae]
Load More Replies... Ah imagine if we had these Pigeons in the uk instead of the regular ones :) walking out of m&s and seeing these wandering around the streets would be epic
Would they survive the weather? New Guinea is tropical.
Load More Replies... I am pretty (okay, very) scared of pigeons. Once I visited a very small "zoo", if you can call it that. They had butterflies, fish, ray's, birds that spend most of their time in trees and 2 Victoria Crowned Pigeons. I was mesmerized by those 2 wonderful birds. At the time I was there I did not even know they were pigeons. They are so different to most pigeons. They left me alone, but one of them kept trying to eat my husbands leg-hair, lol. After I found out they were pigeons, I was kind of "proud" I had been around a pigeon without being scared! I know I am weird. I am looking forward to visit that place / "zoo" again! And see all those wonderful creatures including those beautiful pigeons again! I never thought I would look forward to seeing pigeons. Normally I avoid them at all cost! But I love these ones!
Something cool like this always has a reason you can't have one, lol.
i have a national geographic picture of one of these in my room. we have these at the aviary and i love them so much!
They had one of these (maybe a pair) in the indoor conservatory of a zoo I once visited. Gorgeous birds.
That is really the most stupid thing to say. No, you do not NEED one. You WANT one because you've seen a beautiful picture and you are used to buying anything you want. With more people like you, this already threatened species would promptly disappear...
Load More Replies... Totally up for passing legislation to replace all manky British pigeons with these beauties!!!
I had a manicure done based on this beautiful pigeon: on each nail blue as the feathers with a red dot with a black dot in the center inspired by its eyes.
They have these things at the North Carolina zoo, and they are huge. And do not move for the patrons. People just walked around them
I love all birds, many are rather beautiful, as a child I lived in an area where the common pigeons were plentiful, and I could pick them up, I brought one home and mom nearly in hysterics, I thought I had a new pet, and what I have read most birds are clever, the nature shows on T.V. allow us the joy to see many gorgeous birds, such a treat !!!
Hi I raise racing pigeons and had pigeons all my life.I would never believe that that is a pigeon so beautiful thank you for your information!!
The wonderful diversity of the animals, birds etc is being destroyed by our stupidity and greed. I grieve for my grandchildren and their children who will experience more devastation and extinction of our flora and fauna. Remember the song, that included the line, “they put all the trees in a tree museum and charged a dollar and a half just to see them”. So damn true!
These birds are so beautiful and it is so sad that their natural habitit like that of many many other birds animals and insects are being destroyed by humans. It is so wrong on every level. I hope that one day we can have a world where the love of the Natural World comes waaayy before profit. And I hope by then it will not be too late.
Absolutely beautiful, the secretarybird has some serious competition.
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