by Kristy Sexton-McGrath
The Nicobar pigeon is usually found in island forest on the Nicobar Islands.
(Creative Commons: Tomfriedel)
The closest living relative of the extinct dodo has been found on a tropical island in Far North Queensland, baffling bird experts and cocktail-sipping tourists.
The Nicobar pigeon is a large, near-threatened bird, normally found on islands in South-East Asia.
But one has mysteriously appeared on Green Island, off the coast of Cairns.
Green Island resort general manager Sue O'Donnell said the spectacular ground-dwelling pigeon had been named Emerald by resort staff, after being discovered by an employee.
"We have absolutely no idea where [it] came from, we had never seen it before last week," Ms O'Donnell said.
"There was great excitement because the bird is so friendly and the guests are just fascinated.
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| A Nicobar pigeon is closely related to the extinct dodo.(Supplied: Whitney Zelenitsky) |
"[The bird] pops into the rooms while the staff are doing housekeeping and … loves to hang around at sunset drinks on the island."
Ms O'Donnell said the resort's environmental manager had made contact with authorities and there were no plans to relocate the pigeon to a zoo or anywhere else.
"Green Island is probably the perfect location … [it's] living on a safe, tropical island," she said.
Ms O'Donnell said the bird would be living its "best life".
Bird experts all aflutter
Golo Maurer from BirdLife Australia heads up the organisation's Citizen Science Program and said the species was found in similar mysterious circumstances in Western Australia several years ago.
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| Green Island, off the coast of Cairns, is a popular tourist destination. (Supplied: Green Island Resort) |
He said news of the pigeon's appearance on Green Island had become the subject of much speculation in the bird world.
"It is very unusual to see one in Australia," Dr Maurer said.
"It is a hotly contested topic amongst the bird watchers — if the bird made the journey from its next breeding grounds, which are 1500 kilometres away, or if it's someone's pet and cut a lucky break."
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| Bird experts say the Nicobar pigeon may have been a pet.(Supplied: Whitney Zelenitsky) |
He said the birds were "quite shy" in their natural environment and that Emerald was well suited to its new home.
"It likes forested islands and the ability to find food on the ground, so it's a lovely spot for a Nicobar pigeon," he said.
"There are many native birds there and it's a stopover for migratory shorebirds, so he's really just adding to the experience of bird life on a tropical island."
First published by ABC Far North, November 10, 2023
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