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<strong>EEP</strong> STUDBOOK CROWNED PIGEONS<br />
live near by the water, where they eat little white rocks. Ridey knows this, because he<br />
sometimes finds them in the crop of the crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s.<br />
Furthermore, in the Bush crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s eat insects and no vegetable diet. The birds sleep<br />
in trees and they have no territory.<br />
The breeding season starts in June. Ridey can't tell anything about the nests and the breeding<br />
behaviour of the crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>, because he has never seen a nest. He doesn't know anything<br />
about potential enemies of crowned <strong>pigeon</strong>s.<br />
In Ridey's tokples a crowned <strong>pigeon</strong> is called an "opur" and in Pidgin a "Guria". "Guria" also<br />
means, "shaking" in Pidgin. Probably the crowned <strong>pigeon</strong> got the name "Guria", because this<br />
bird is shaking its tail.<br />
Interview with Steven-John, a hunter from Okovai (Monday, 1st of September)<br />
Steven-John is a hunter. He hunts with a gun.<br />
<strong>Crowned</strong> <strong>pigeon</strong>s live in groups up from 10 animals or even more. The animals forage<br />
through the woods and stay together. They eat for example seeds from the glue-tree and stay<br />
in contact with each other by the "contact-call". When they go to sleep (they sleep in the<br />
trees) or become active, the sound is different: "muhu, muhu, muhu". They don't have a<br />
territory and are just walking around. Sometimes they forage and when it is the hottest<br />
moment of the day, they are going to the water to cool down. At the water they even eat<br />
rocks. They do this, because this helps to digest the food in the stomach. There is no breedingseason,<br />
but Steven doesn't know if they brood once a year or more. The female <strong>pigeon</strong> builds<br />
the nest and broods on the egg. The male <strong>pigeon</strong> is keeping her company. When the chick has<br />
hatched, the male helps the female <strong>pigeon</strong> to feed the chick. Steven doesn't know how long<br />
the brooding time is, neither how long the chick stays in the nest. They only lay one egg.<br />
”Gurias" don't have natural enemies (except for the humans). The changes between male and<br />
female <strong>pigeon</strong>s can be seen, when they sit on the nest. The female is sitting on the nest and the<br />
male <strong>pigeon</strong> is sitting beside her. The name "Guria" also means, "suspend", this is what they<br />
do with their head.<br />
Interview with Morris Opu (hunter) from Okovai, September 1997<br />
Morris is from Kokoro (originally), but since 3 years he lives in Okovai. <strong>Crowned</strong> <strong>pigeon</strong>s<br />
normally live in groups from 5 - 6 animals, which are walking closely together and making<br />
sounds "mhm, mhm". <strong>Crowned</strong> <strong>pigeon</strong>s brood once a year and lay only 1 egg, but Morris<br />
doesn't know anything about their further reproductive behaviour.<br />
He suspects the female <strong>pigeon</strong> builds the nest and takes care of raising the chick. According to<br />
Morris "Gurias" doesn't have any other enemies.<br />
Remark:<br />
The inhabitants of Okovai seem to know very little about the ecology of the animals: they just<br />
look for them and then shoot them (possibly when they are in a tree).<br />
The inhabitants of Nukeva (and maybe also Kakoro) don't have guns and they have to know a<br />
lot more about the animals (professional knowledge), before they can hunt them.<br />
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