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Species
Goura scheepmakeri Finsch, 1876
Nomenclature
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Family: ColumbidaeGenus: Goura
Media
SUMMARY
It has a bluish-grey plumage with elaborate blue lacy crests, red iris and very deep maroon breast. Both sexes are similar. There are two subspecies of the Southern Crowned Pigeon, differentiated by their shoulder and belly colorations. Goura scheepmakeri sclateri of southwest New Guinea with maroon shoulders and blue-grey belly, and the nominate race Goura scheepmakeri scheepmakeri of southeast New Guinea with blue-grey shoulders and maroon below. This species was first discovered new to science by Otto Finsch who found a live bird received from the dealer C. Scheepmaker in Amsterdam Zoo and named it after him. The striking headdress of blue-grey, lacy feathers is the southern crowned-pigeon’s most prominent feature, with the rest of the plumage also primarily blue-grey, and its breast and belly a rich maroon. A black ‘mask’ sits around the red eyes and its legs and feet are purplish-red