Pigeons and doves are one of the most beautiful and diverse birds found in the world. From the dazzling iridescent colors of the crowned pigeon to the elegant plumes of the ring-necked dove, these birds have captivated bird enthusiasts for centuries. Here are 15 of the most beautiful pigeons and doves in the world you may not know.
1. Pink-necked green pigeon
The pink-necked green pigeon is considered to be one of the most beautiful pigeons in the world, with its unique and vibrant coloration.
There are differences in colors between the two sexes. Male birds have a gray head and an orange breast. The special feature of the males is the combination of a green body with a pinkish neck. This creates a striking contrast. Their green wings have black and yellow edges, their belly is yellow, and their tail is grey with a black stripe at the end.
Females are smaller in size and have different colors. These birds have a yellowish belly, chest, neck, and face. Their body is green and their tail’s color is similar to that of the males.
These beautiful pigeons are attractive and popular birds for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts. They are also a favorite of photographers.
2. Luzon bleeding-heart
The Luzon bleeding-heart is a dove species that is native to the Philippines. It is named after the island of Luzon where it is primarily found.
The appearance of the beautiful doves is distinctive and unique. Their chest sports a patch of bright red feathers that resemble a drop of blood, giving them the name “bleeding-heart.” The male has a slightly brighter red patch.
The wings and heads of these ground doves are light blue-gray. However, because their feathers are iridescent, they might appear purple, navy blue, or green, depending on lighting circumstances. They have three dark brown bands on their short wings.
Their throat, chest, and belly are all white. However, the feathers around the red patch will be lighter pink. The doves have long deep red legs.
The male and female Luzon bleeding-hearts have a similar appearance.
3. The Nicobar pigeon
The beautiful Nicobar pigeon, also known as the white-tailed pigeon, hackled pigeon, or vulturine pigeon, is a large bird. It can grow up to 40 cm in length and weigh up to 450 g.
The Nicobar pigeon is considered one of the prettiest pigeons in the world due to its stunning appearance. This colorful beautiful pigeon owns iridescent feathers that will shine with a spectrum of colors including green, yellow, copper, and blue, in the sunlight.
The bird has a graceful, slender neck, adorned with long feathers that trail down. Its head is slender and grey, complementing its grey chest.
It also has long, reddish legs and feet, and a short and pure white tail that only adults have. These characteristics add to the bird’s unique beauty.
4. Frillback pigeon
Speaking of the most beautiful pigeons in the world, we can’t miss frillback pigeons. They have a unique appearance with their most distinctive feature being the “frill” of feathers around their body, which gives them their name.
Frills generate a distinctive ringlet curl that runs around the entire wing shield. This curly coat can be a variety of colors, adding a touch of elegance and charm to the bird.
These beautiful pigeons come in 6 different color categories:
- Grizzle: blue, red, silver, yellow
- Self: yellow, black, white/beige, red
- Shield marked: the markings on the crest, including red, mealy ash-red bar, ashy to cream, yellow, silver-dun bar, blue-black bar
- Patterned: mottled pattern of colors like white, red, beige, yellow
- The other 2 types are rare color and pattern types.
These fancy pigeons are also distinguished by their fanned-out tail. Their eyes are typically red to amber, but this varies according to the breeds and traits. Their beak is long and often features a slightly protruding upper beak.
5. Emerald dove
The emerald dove is a small to medium-sized bird species native to Australia and Southeast Asia. It has a distinctive appearance with multiple beautiful colors.
There are differences between males and females. The male boasts a dark vinous pink chin, throat, upper breast, and neck sides. These features of the female are reddish-brown.
The head and nape of the male are pale bluish-gray. It has a white stripe that runs from its forehead through its eyes and a white patch runs down the edge of its shoulders. These characteristics are lacking in females.
Both genders have a shimmering green color on their back and wings. They both have a red bill, dark brown eyes, and grayish-red feet.
6. Victoria crowned pigeon
The Victoria-crowned pigeon is the largest and the world’s most beautiful pigeon. The fancy pigeon is famous for its distinctive deep blue-grey plumage and a unique, circular crest of feathers on their heads that resemble a crown.
In terms of color, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is primarily blue with a dark purple maroon patch on its chest. Its head has a paler blue-gray color. You can also see this feature on its wing coverts with maroon tips. The crest on its head is a shade of blue with white tips.
The Victoria-crowned pigeon has 16 tail feathers as opposed to 12 in regular pigeons. This pigeon has red eyes and a pale bluish-gray beak.
7. Jacobin pigeon
Jacobin pigeon is another beautiful pigeon known for its unique muff or cowl of feathers that covers its head and neck. This hood gives the bird a distinctive appearance like a french monk who is called the Jacobin monk. That’s why the bird is called the Jacobin pigeon.
These beautiful fancy pigeons have a slender and tall body with a small head. Their wings are also long and broad and their feet are not covered in feathers.
The Jacobin pigeons come in a variety of shades, including black, white, white with black-tipped, yellow, red, cream, and brown. The hood feathers are usually the same color as the body, but can also be a different shade.
8. Indian fantail
The next beautiful pigeons are Indian fantails. The Indian fantail is a medium and graceful bird with a distinctive fan-shaped tail. Their tails have long, thin feathers that spread out like a fan, giving the bird its name. The body of the Indian fantail is plump and rounded, with a short, stubby beak and short legs.
These birds are most commonly white with light tan spots. However, the breeders have created many more colors like red, black, blue, silver, tiger, or black/red saddle-back. The color of their tail can be the same or different from the body color.
9. Spinifex pigeon
The spinifex pigeon is a small to medium-sized bird native to Australia. The special feature of this pigeon is its distinctive, bushy crest of feathers on its head.
These beautiful birds are rufous-brown in color with narrow black bands on their wings and back.
The face of these species has 4 distinctive colors:
- The forehead, the sides of its crown, and the ear coverts are gray.
- A white stripe extends from the chin to the rear of the eyes.
- A red band runs from the beak to behind the eyes. This band lies between two black stripes.
The spinifex pigeons also have a black bill and throat, grey legs and feet, and a white stripe on the chest. Most of these beautiful pigeons have white bellies and females are smaller than males.
10. Rose-crowned fruit-dove
The rose-crowned fruit-dove is a vibrant bird with a stocky, green body, and short tail. Its outstanding feature is the bright pink crown on its head. Between its eyes and the pink crown, there is a thin yellow stripe.
The male is more colorful than the female. It has a grey head and breast which contrasts with the yellow-orange underparts. Just below the dividing line, you can see a rich pink patch in the center. This pigeon has a bright green back and upper wings with darker primaries. It has a green tail with a yellow tip, grey legs, and brown eyes.
The female bird is duller in color, especially on the belly. The young rose-crowned fruit-doves are mostly green all over. Their underparts are pale yellow.
11. Speckled pigeon
The speckled pigeon has a distinctive appearance and speckled plumage. Its neck is silvery pink-green, and its outer wing feathers are dark red with white dots. The rest of its feathers are pearl grey. The beautiful pigeon breed has a distinctive red eye ring and red legs. The female speckled pigeon is similar in appearance to the male, but it is slightly smaller and less colorful.
12. English trumpeter pigeon
The English Trumpeter pigeon is one of the most beautiful pigeons in the world. This small to medium-sized, attractive bird has a cape-like crest on its head. You still can see the face of this bird since the crest is flung back.
What sets this fancy pigeon breed apart from others is the remarkable muffs on its feet. These muffs can grow as big as their flight feathers. It has many colors like yellow, white, and black. The colors are categorized into three groups: self, baldhead, and splash.
13. Brunner pouter pigeon
The Brunner pouter pigeon is a petite breed with a slender and elegant appearance. These beautiful pigeons have a weird appearance with an enormous, perfectly round crop or globe and long, straight legs. These features make them look like a ball on a stick.
These birds’ narrow bills have a dark or light horn tint and may rest comfortably on the crop. Their brilliant yellowish eyes should be vertically positioned over the toes.
This breed has a long, proportional neck and a sharply curved throat, and no dewlap. Their wings and back are elongated and slender. Their lower legs are red and not covered by feathers.
These Brunner pouter pigeons come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, such as black, white, yellow, stork marked, white champion, blue-white bar, black-white bar, etc.
14. Oriental frill pigeon
The oriental frill pigeon is a small bird with an attractive look. This bird is known for its short beak, as well as its frill of feathers on the breast. Additionally, it features a stylish peaked crest on the top of its head.
These beautiful pigeons come in a variety of stunning colors, with the most popular being Blondinettes and Satinettes. The Satinette is predominantly white, with white coloring on the face, primary flight feathers, body, and legs.
The Blondinettes, on the other hand, have a different base hue, usually blue. The tail, shoulders, and wing coverts are then patterned to stand out against the background color.
15. Lahore pigeon
The last member on our fancy pigeon breeds list is the Lahore pigeon. These beautiful pigeons are domestic pigeon breeds originating from Iran. They are one of the largest pigeons with a distinctive appearance.
They have a white base color which is on their chest, face, underpart, feet, rump, and tail. The rest of their body has a different color. However, there is a variant that the base color is nearly yellow and the secondary feathers are black.
The birds own a full, broad chest and plump cheeks. Their legs and feet are covered in feathers, making them appear to be wearing thick stockings.
One of the amazing things about the Lahore pigeons is that they come in several color variants. They can be black, red, brown, checkered, blue, and blue bar.
Conclusion
The fifteen most beautiful pigeons and doves in the world are truly a sight to behold. Each of these birds has its own unique beauty and grace. From the vibrant colors of the Nicobar Pigeon to the majestic wingspan of the Victoria Crowned Pigeon, these birds are truly awe-inspiring.
