Steve's Photo Pick

  • Steve's Photo Pick

    Steve’s Photo Pick – 2017 May-June

    Blue-crowned Pigeon squab, Goura cristata, aka Western Crowned Pigeon or Common Crowned Pigeon This is a 2 week old squab that will grow up to be one of the largest species of pigeons weighing in at about 4.5 pounds. There are 3 species of Crowned Pigeons. All inhabit separate areas on the island of Papua New Guinea. The diet in the wild is mainly small fruits and seeds. In captivity, a diet of pellets, seeds, sprouts and chopped fruit is readily accepted. Crowned Pigeons lay a single egg per clutch. Rearing offspring in aviculture can be challenging and often requires hand-rearing which results in wonderfully tame adults. Crowned Pigeons spend…

  • Steve's Photo Pick

    Steve’s Photo Pick – 2017 September-October

    (IMAGE) Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes buccinator, (6-week-old chick) – A common species of equatorial Africa, the Trumpeter Hornbill often lives in small groups but sometimes as many as 50. Trumpeters are a medium-sized hornbill at about 24” long and do have a loud braying call, much louder than the Tockus species of hornbills which are also from Africa. Trumpeter Hornbills are omnivorous but eat much more fruit than animal prey, which is mostly insects. Like most other hornbills, the female will seal herself into a tree cavity for the duration of incubation and most of the period that the chicks are being reared. Young hornbills often sit with their tails cocked…