Order) Columbiformes
Family) Columbidae
Species) Native Bird
Conservation Status) Not Threatened
Length) 50 cm
Weight) 630 g
Other Names) kereru, kukupa, kuku, wood pigeon, native pigeon, kokopa
Threats) Feral cats, stoats and rats, especially when nesting. vehicles, overhead power and telephone wires and windows
Identification
The Wood pigeon is a large distinctively-coloured pigeon, it is easy to find on Waiheke due to its size, they are usually perched on powerlines or trees.
The Wood pigeon also known as a Kereru has a red bill, feet and eyes. The upperparts are blue-green with purple-bronze iridescence on the neck, mantle and wing coverts, and the underparts are white with a sharp demarcation between the white and blue-green on the upper breast.
Fledglings and juveniles have duller plumage, and often the white chest is smudgy white-grey, and the demarcation between dark and white feathering is ragged and may have a narrow border of cinnamon wash over the upper white feathers.
Wood pigeon are generally silent except for occasional ‘oos’. Brief, moderate volume ‘oos’ are given when alarmed, such as a harrier flying close by, and longer, low volume ‘oooooos’, with a rising tone towards the end given as contact calls, often repeated several times.
Breeding
Wood pigeon breed in all months, but most eggs are laid in September-April.
The nest is a platform of dead twigs, and a single egg is laid.
In general, females incubate from late afternoon until mid-morning, when the male takes over. The chick is brooded constantly until it is about 10 days old and well covered with feathers. From then until fledging at about 35-40 days of age, it is left alone by day, with the occasional brief visit by a parent to feed it.
When fruit is readily available, pairs are able to have overlapping nesting attempts; a large chick in one nest and an egg being incubated in another.
During the non-breeding season, kererū can be fairly inconspicuous, feeding and then roosting under a thick canopy for sometimes hours at a time. In the breeding season, they can be just the opposite, perching on top of trees and males giving frequent display flights at the start of a nesting cycle.
Food
Buds, leaves, flowers and fruit from a wide variety species, both native and exotic.
On Waiheke I usually see them eating palm tree berries.
Waiheke Locations
Tree tops
Waiheke Reserves
Powerlines
They are a flying bird so they can be anywhere on Waiheke, they aren’t particularly afraid of people, I have spotted them in hibiscus plants, cabbage trees, Palm trees, Tree branches and on powerlines.
Wood Pigeons are flying birds they are not just on Waiheke, they can be found in other areas of New Zealand. these are just areas I’ve spotted them on Waiheke and photographed.
Gallery
