Torresian/Pied Imperial Pigeons (TIPs/PIPs) live in tropical Queensland from early Spring until late Autumn. The majority form large roosting and breeding colonies on some of Queensland’s many offshore islands, flying daily to feed on the mainland. A small proportion of the total population nest at scattered locations along the mainland coast.
Torresian/Pied Imperial Pigeons have a vital ecological role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of our coastal forests because they are champion dispersers of native tree seeds.
They eat whole fruits of many different rainforest and monsoon forest trees, including fruits too large for other fruit-eating birds to swallow. They digest only the fleshy outside covering of these fruits and excrete the seeds.
PIPs/TIPs are strong fliers and range over a large area while searching for native tree fruits at the perfect stage of ripeness. Therefore the seeds they excrete get dispersed very widely and grow into new trees that will benefit future generations of birds and many other species including humans.
During the day PIPs/TIPs can be spotted in many coastal areas of Queensland as they fly out early in the morning to search for food and return to their nesting and roosting sites in the late afternoon. Individuals and small groups may also be spotted in parks and gardens where they sometimes find native trees with ripe fruit.
When a pair of PIPs/TIPs is ready to breed, the male and female birds build a nest together, usually a simple platform of leafy twigs, sometimes just bare twigs. After the egg is laid, one partner stays, in order to attend the nest continuously while the other partner goes off to forage. The foraging partner returns in the late afternoon, or sometimes the next morning, and then the pair swap duties for the next day.
The parent birds have a tremendous workload. They need to find enough food (native tree fruits) each day to maintain their own strength for flying great distances, and at the same time need to bring back enough food for their growing chick. This they do by retaining native tree fruits in their crop, a muscular pouch in their chest.
Large chicks start to scramble around their nest tree and make short flights close by. However, they remain near the nest until they are fully grown. They need to be strong enough for their first non-stop long flight over the sea to the mainland.
Almost all PIPs/TIPS leave Queensland for a short winter break when they migrate to Papua New Guinea. Sometimes a few stragglers remain behind, probably late-hatching birds that were not yet strong enough to migrate. After a few months absence, the travelling flocks return to Queensland in August and early September, and then start the next breeding season.
Read more here if you are interested in helping with research and conservation in Queensland.
If you see PIPs/TIPS outside Queensland, please read here.