Wild Bird Wednesday 91 - Crested Pigeon

I think that pigeons are a rather under appreciated bird - maybe its the familiarity of the urban version - the mingled blood lines of rock doves and racing pigeons that mess up the grand city facades and statue.   Maybe it's the willingness of the city birds to come camera close, bribed with bread and grain.

Whatever the cause, I think that the consequence is that pigeons can be overlooked.  That is unless that have a headdress like this bird.

This week I give you the crested pigeon - Ocyphaps lophotes. The name means crested swift pigeon, which is correct on both counts.  These birds can often be seen on playing fields and dry grasslands.

Unlike a number of birds with a crest, this bird displays the crest almost all the time - although it sometimes lies a little flatter than expected.  I can't help but think that the bird looks surprised when it's crest is vertical!

As is often the case with birds that are overlooked, once you take a close look that are rather splendid.

Now it's over to you.  It seems that the Linky has a mind of its own at present - so please try to restrict the label on your thumbnail to a name and location, and please don't get upset if I edit it a bit for the sake of presentation.  Cheers SM.

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