Fun Pheasant Pigeon Facts For Kids

Have you ever thought of learning how a male and a female could share parenting smoothly and effectively? Knowing more about the pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis genus) will help you better understand this. Pheasant pigeons are among the most likable birds from the Columbidae family. They are known for sharing parenting responsibilities, including finding appropriate shelter, hatching, and feeding babies with crop milk.

They are ground-dwelling birds, predominantly seen in dense rainforest areas of New Guinea and the islands close by (Fergusson, Aru, and Western Papua Islands). They are the only bird species of the monotypic genus called Otidiphaps.

They resemble a pheasant species bird in Morphology, especially regarding round-shaped wings and squeezed long tails. Their Kingdom and Phylum belong to Animalia and Chordata, respectively. Interestingly, they are secretive and prefer to stay away from human-crowded areas.

Read the discovery of exhilarating facts about pheasant pigeons for all, and we have a lot of excellent and informative content posted here with our barn owl facts and birds of paradise facts.

What type of animal is a pheasant pigeon?

The pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis genus) is a chicken-sized, good-looking, ground-bounded, lovable feather friend and is mainly seen in New Guinea of north Australia. Pheasant pigeon species birds of the world will have smooth and shiny, black-colored heads and long, compressed tails. In addition, they have round-shaped brownish wings. Depending on the color of their neck, they are further sub-classified as green-naped, black-naped, white-naped, and grey-naped Pheasant pigeons.

What class of animal does a pheasant pigeon belong to?

The pheasant pigeon belongs to the class of Aves.

How many pheasant pigeons are there in the world?

Black-naped pheasant pigeons are in the range of 1000-2499, and white-naped pheasant pigeons are in the range of 2000-9999 as per the latest survey. However, no detailed study on the population of green-naped pheasant pigeons and grey-naped pheasant pigeons in the declining trend has been done yet.

Where does a pheasant pigeon live?

The pheasant pigeon, a ground-dwelling Columbidae family bird, lives in dense tropical rainforest zones of New Guinea and associated islands.

What is a pheasant pigeon's habitat?

Pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis) usually lives in dense forest areas with frequent rain, similar to other pheasant birds of the world. These birds live in low-lying hilly areas to the low to medium-altitude mountains. While these birds are kept as pets, they can live indoors and preferably outdoors.

Who does a pheasant pigeon live with?

The pheasant pigeon, a bird not from America, lives singly and in pairs as part of their family life. They may even live in trios (one male and two females) rarely. In general, they tend to live away from human crowds.

How long does a pheasant pigeon live?

A lifetime study of pheasant pigeons is not done thoroughly yet. However, it is expected that they can live two to three years.

How do they reproduce?

Both males and females will mature for reproduction once they become one year old. Therefore, they will be breed-ready throughout the year. By showing a distinctive display, males will search for females for mating. Bill pointing towards the ground and the tail raising are the well-known symptoms of the invite. Males will generally run towards females, making contact through their breasts. Both males and females can provide crop milk to the young chicks for approximately a month.

What is their conservation status?

The pheasant pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis), a ground-dwelling Columbidae family bird, belongs to the Least Concern category, listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population of black-naped Pheasant pigeons is declining year over year due to a reduction in their forest habitat. Green-naped pheasant pigeon (nominate subspecies) and grey-naped pheasant pigeon are not listed as Threatened. White-naped Pheasant pigeons are considered Vulnerable.

What do pheasant pigeons look like?

Pheasant pigeons, one of the world's unique birds, have compressed and long tails. Their smooth and shiny heads and back portion of the body would be in black. Their wings are round-shaped, short, and brown. There are four renowned subspecies of pheasant pigeons classified based on the color of their neck, namely white, grey, black, and green-naped Pheasant pigeon species.

How cute are they?

These birds are cute owing to their soft, gentle character and physical appearance. In addition, these small-billed species are known for their loyalty to those who feed them.

How do they communicate?

These birds, which did not originate from America, communicate through three types of sounds or alarms. A typical pigeon species cooing sound, a booming ‘wu-huwoooooa’ sound with varied levels of pitches as needed, and a grinding alarm-like sound are the ones through which they communicate to the family members in nests, the external world, and fellow pigeon bird species.

How big is a pheasant pigeon?

The pheasant pigeon is about 16-19.6 in (42-50 cm) sized species of birds. They look the same as that of a chicken in size in the bird family.

How fast can a pheasant pigeon move?

Pheasants, being an earth-bound species of birds, prefer to walk and run. They run up to 8-10 mph (12-16 kph). However, when they are under threat, they make a swift fly for a shorter distance, where their speed could go up to 38-48 mph (61-77 kph). When they are chased, they may even fly up to 60 mph (96 kph).

How much does a Pheasant Pigeon weigh?

A male weighs 1-1.15 lb (475-525 g), and a female weighs 0.57 lb (263 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males are called cocks, and females are called hens.

What would you call a baby pheasant pigeon?

A baby pheasant pigeon is called a chick.

What do they eat?

They are the omnivorous type in their bird species family and eat worms, insects, berries, tiny reptiles like lizards, mice, and plant matter like seeds and fallen fruits. They eat rice when they are kept as pets in nests.

Are they poisonous?

They are not poisonous. However, this bird's droppings may create health issues (Psittacosis, histoplasmosis, and cryptococcosis) for humans.

Would they make a good pet?

They make good pets as they can easily be fed on seeds and fallen fruits.  They are known for their high intelligence in the bird species. They are soft, gentle, calm, and have pleasant characteristics which impress owners to a greater extent. They are preferred to be kept in outside secured and sturdy nests.

Did you know...

These species prefer to walk most of the time, with their tails up and down depending on their mood. However, it is astounding that they don't get any injuries as they do so while searching for food. On rare occasions, they may lose their feathers and get into stress at times.

Is a pheasant pigeon a game bird?

Yes, the pheasant pigeon, whose order is Columbiformes, is a game bird (feathered game). They are supposed to be healthy food as they have less cholesterol and fat. Hence, they are hunted by humans either directly or through gun dogs. A few landowners shoot them for amusement or sports purposes. They are sometimes easy victims of cats and hawks.

Are they predators?

They are not predators but prey birds. However, they, being omnivorous birds, eat tiny reptiles like lizards, mice, and insects.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these eagle facts and toco toucan facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our pheasant pigeon coloring pages.