Western Crowned Pigeon (mounted taxidermy)

Object Status:

Extant

Primary Source Reference:

Charles Willson Peale, "A Walk through the Philad[elphi]a Museum" (1805-1806). Historical Society of Pennsylvania, coll. 0481.

Additional Source Text:

Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) wrote, in "A Walk Through the Philad[elphi]a Museum" (1805–1806): "Ring dove (C. Palumbus) is a native of Europe. They visit England in the spring and inhabit the Woods altogether — It is a large Pigeon, but far short of the size of the Great Crowed Pigeon (C. Coronata) [of Linnaeus 1766] this is the size of a hen Turkey. / Its crest is superb; Its dress handsome though without gay colours – but its Gate was stately when walking – and it we gentle & familiar. Inhabits the Isle of Banda. They are raised and nourished by the Inhabitants of China in their court yards." (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, coll. 0481)

A mounted specimen of "Columba coronata (Great Crowned Pigeon)" from "India" [sic] was listed in "A Catalogue of Duplicate Specimens...", May 1822. [unpublished] American Philosophical Society Library (Mss.B.P31).

Notes:

Peale’s comment about the Banda islands (Indonesia) was probably copied from George Edwards (1694-1773), whose illustration of the “The great crowned pigeon from the Island of Banda in the East Indies” appeared on Pl. 338 of Gleanings of Natural History (1764), shown here.

Specimen Type:

Dead/preserved

Current Common Name:

Western Crowned Pigeon

Current Scientific Name

Columbidae | Goura cristata