New Zealand Pigeon: how to recognise it
A bird of Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Christopher Stephens · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
- Family
- Pigeons and Doves
- Size
- About 51 cm
- Habitat
- Native forest, parks and gardens
- Found in
- Oceania
The key marks
Big, plump pigeon with a glossy green-bronze head and back, a bold white belly sharply cut off from the dark chest, and a red bill. Wood-Pigeon is grey with a white neck patch and white wing bars.
Voice
Mostly quiet, with a soft, low 'oooo' coo; its wingbeats are loud.
Good to know
It is one of the few birds big enough to swallow large native fruits whole, so it spreads the seeds of big forest trees.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Common Wood-Pigeon. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in native forest, parks and gardens. It is especially common in New Zealand. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.