A very distinctive looking pigeon, this is one of the largest in the world. Easily distinguished from other pigeons by their dark blue-grey plumage and large fan-like crest feathers tipped with white and purple. Males and females look almost identical, with males sometimes a little larger than the females.
 

Longevity in the wild not known, in captivity these large pigeons can live into their 30’s.

 

Usually found in pairs or small groups, these large pigeons spend most of their time on the ground. When threatened, they may use an aggressive display where they turn sideways to their opponents and raise their wings making them look much larger and possibly more threatening. During courtship, the male will duck his head low while fanning his tail feathers out, both head and tail bob up and down.
 

Unlike most of the pigeons and doves, the Victoria crowned pigeon builds a fairly solid platform nest of sticks and leaves. In this nest, the female lays a single egg which hatches about 30 days after laying. Both the male and female incubate the egg and care for the chick. The chick will fledge approximately 4 weeks after hatching and the parents may continue to feed the fledgling for another 2 to 3 months. Like other pigeons, chicks are fed with a highly nutritious crop milk produced by the parents and regurgitated to the young.