This is our beautiful New Zealand Pigeon which we’re privileged to see quite often down south. We see them in both urban and rural areas where there is bush nearby. They like to perch on powerlines so we often see them from the road in places like The Catlins (rural) or Dunedin (city). It’s also easy to find them in Dunedin Botanic Garden or Queens Park in Invercargill. Their botanic name is Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, the Maori name is kereru, and sometimes it is called a wood pigeon. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Nigel got these these photos when we visited Maple Glen Garden on 06 October 2019. Glenham, Southland, New Zealand.
I cropped this first image for a closer view, from the photo that appears after.
If you’d like to read more about our NZ Pigeon:
New Zealand Pigeon – New Zealand Birds Online
— text by Liz and photos by Nigel; Exploring Colour (2019)
Exploring Colour 
This pigeon puts ours to shame when it comes to looks. We had one beautiful pigeon early in our history. but pigeon feather hats and pigeon pies put them into extinction. Yours is quite the looker.
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These were good for food but fortunately weren’t decimated before being protected. They seem to have adapted well to urban environments and it probably helps that they’re good fliers. They’re beautiful, love seeing them!
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Very handsome. And surprisingly plump! In that last shot, the bird looks very inquisitive, probably interested in your camera.
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They are plump birds! You wouldn’t think they’d fly well but they’re very good at flying and can do aerial acrobatics. You’d also think they’d be easy to see but when you’re looking up into a tree they’re not easy to see at all. Even when they’re in the open (typically perched on a powerline) they easy to miss – once they’re settled they stay very still!
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Beautiful pictures. We have them at the moment eating blossoms off kowhai and the fruit trees.
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It’s a treat to see them a bit closer than usual. I think this one was aiming at leaf buds. In The Catlins there was a particular spot that had lots of willows near the highway, and at the right time of year there’d be heaps of native pigeons there. You could easily see them, just from the car!
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We are so lucky to have the amazing bird life we have here. We saw nothing like it on our travels in Canada and Alaska.
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Your pigeons are much more colourful than ours – we have woodpigeons here and they’re pretty dull!
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These are gorgeous birds, with their white “singlets” 🙂
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The birdies are going to need their singlets here soon, hehe!
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Thank you for introducing a bird new to me, Liz! 😊
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My pleasure! We wouldn’t usually be able to get such detailed photos of wildlife.
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A very pretty bird, Liz! I’ve never been a fan of “city pigeons” but have come to recognize their flying talents and beautiful colors, especially in the right light.
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These pigeons stay high in the trees or perched on powerlines. When perched they stay very still and you’re lucky to spot them. In flight their wings make a lot of noise and apparently they use this as a means of communication. Occasionally they make a soft cooing noise but on the whole they’re quiet.
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Our pigeons are quite different in appearance, but they perform the same acrobatics in flight as these. It’s great fun to watch flocks of them wheeling and turning, and fun to see them when they come for water, but these are far more attractive.
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We’ve seen groups of these birds when a popular food source is ripe for picking (say around 30) but they have the appearance of acting as individuals within the group (rather than being particularly social).
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Wow. Pigeons don’t usually excite me much, but these are spectacular. Ours seem drab by comparison. 🙂
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These are awesome birds Mike. Don’t be fooled by the plump body either, they do great aerial acrobatics when they want to.. flying up high then stalling in mid-air and plummeting down at speed. They need lots of space – it’s quite a performance! We saw them regularly from home when we lived in The Catlins.
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Gorgeous pigeon and awesome captures!
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We love our handsome native pigeons! And both excited that Nigel’s photos turned out so well 🙂 Thanks Donna!
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What a pretty bird!
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It is pretty, especially when the plumage catches the light.
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