The New Zealand Wood Pigeon

Yesterday afternoon I went outside for a wander around with my camera. I heard the unmistakable swooshing sound of a Wood Pigeon overhead and then from the corner of my eye I saw a branch droop under it's weight as it landed high in a Eucalyptus tree.

It was up too high to get good pictures of it this time. The best I could do is the first photo.

Every year I have a pair of Wood Pigeons come to visit me at my wee farm. I feel rather blessed to be graced with their presence.

Some Facts About the New Zealand Wood Pigeon:

The Maori name for the Wood Pigeon is Kereru. Such a pretty name for a really beautiful big bird.
They are endemic to New Zealand but are also found in Southeast Asia, Malaya and Africa.
It resembles the common pigeon as it has a rather small head compared to it's body.
It eats mainly fruits and drupes.
They grow to around 51cm or 20 inches long and weigh around 650g or 23 oz.
Their head, throat and wings are a shiny purple-green and have a bronze tinge to them and their beaks, feet and eyes are red.

These next photos were taken a couple of years ago. I couldn't believe my luck that this stunning bird hung in the Kowhai tree. It waited there while I went inside to get my camera and then just hung out with me while I took photos. It didn't appear to be scared of me at all. It was a special moment for sure!!!

You can see the purple-green plumage in this picture

The Kereru is an important part of the ecological system of New Zealand. They are the only bird large enough to eat the largest native fruits so they are able to spread the seed intact to enable regeneration. Although they eat mainly fruits they do eat some leaves and their favourite leaves are that of the common plum tree. They can be found feasting on them and the buds when other fruits aren't available.

The Kereru only lay a single egg but can breed up to four times in one season if there is plenty of food available and the weather is kind.

The population of these birds took a dramatic dive when humans arrived in New Zealand.
The possum (introduced from Australia) and the rats (ship rats and brown rats) have reduced the amount of fruit available for the pigeons and other native birds and they also feed on their eggs. This has not helped their breeding efforts.

The population also took a huge hit due to them being hunted for their beautiful plumage and meat. They were seen congregating in flocks on fruit trees feeding in the early 1860s but by 1864 there was a need to restrict hunting as they had seriously declined in numbers. In 1921 there was total protection put on them and now they are protected under the Wildlife Act of NZ.
Facts in this post were found here

Funny fact:

Come springtime, they're often seen guzzling berries and doing anything (including hanging upside down in trees) to get a good feed. But when New Zealand pigeons gorge on too much fruit, they must sit in the sun to digest it. And when the weather is good, ripe fruit can ferment in their crop and turn to alcohol, getting them sufficiently boozed up and giving new meaning to the term "daytime drinking". In years where fruit is bountiful, there have been widespread reports of kererū literally falling out of trees because they're too drunk to perch.

Information source

I absolutely love seeing these fantastic birds in my garden and I hope they continue to visit with me every year. I hope you enjoyed seeing this fabulous bird also.

All images are my own.

Thank you for stopping by..