Abstract
Found on the island of New Guinea
(in both Papua New Guinea and Irian .
Jaya) and a few small adjoining
islands, the three species of Crowned
Pigeons of the genus Goura are the
largest members of the pigeon
family. These magnificent birds are
popular both as zoo exhibits and in
private breeding facilities.
Taxonomists have long debated the
status of these birds. Currently, three
distinct species are recognized.
Recent DNA mapping (Bohmke &
Patton 1987) seems to support this.
The apparently extinct Microgoura
meeki of the Solomon Island chain
may have been their closest relative.
Trugon terrestris may be their closest
living relative with M. meeki
having been the link between the
two living genera.
Crowned Pigeons are currently on
Appendix II of the CITES convention.
Individuals in Rotterdam are developing
a petition to have these birds
placed on Appendix I, further
restricting trade in wild-caught birds
(Nijboer, 1991). The reasoning for
this is clear. Little data currently
exists on their status in the wild.
What little is known is that they have
been locally extirpated wherever
man has established settlements
(Collar & Andrew 1988; Coates 1985;
Beehler 1985; Bell, 1982, 1970,
1969; Pearson 1974). Despite laws
prohibiting the taking of these birds
by shotgun or nets, shooting and collecting
continue. While there is little
trade in wild-caught birds within the
U.S., there appears to be a significant
trade in eastern Europe and southeast
Asia. Reportedly one dealer based in
Singapore took some 900 G. cristata
from waterholes in IrianJaya in 1987
(Nijboer 1991). This same dealer was
holding approximately 300 individuals
at two locations in southeast Asia
in 1990 (King 1991).
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