Duisburg (dpa / lnw) - The head is bright blue and has a plume: the red-breasted crowned pigeons in the Duisburg Zoo have offspring. The dazzling blue young bird is being cared for by its parents in an exemplary manner, the zoo announced on Monday. "One adult bird is always at the side of the little pigeon while the other goes in search of food," reported the animal keeper in charge. The little crowned dove already wears the characteristic headdress, which stretches from the forehead to the nape of the neck. Crowned pigeons originally live in the forests of New Guinea and Papua New Guinea.
Due to the deforestation of the rainforest, their habitat is continuously disappearing, the zoo explained. In their homeland, the birds, which can be up to 80 centimeters tall and weigh more than two kilograms, are heavily hunted for their meat. The pigeon species has been represented in Duisburg since 2017.
