New Zealand Pigeon

Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

New Zealand Pigeon, Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, breeds in New Zealand on the North, South and Stewart islands, and formerly on Norfolk Island. It is a pigeon of forests and urban areas, and is notable as a large, conspicuous bird with a white breast and iridescent green-blue plumage. It was described by Gmelin in 1789. The species is also known as kererū and kūkupa in some Māori dialects, and it has two recognised subspecies, one of which, the Norfolk pigeon, became extinct in the early 20th century.

Order

Columbiformes

Family

Columbidae — Pigeons, Doves

Breeding range

Australasia: North, South and Stewart is. (New Zealand) and formerly Norfolk I. (far e of Australia)