Lopholaimus antarcticus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus) is a pigeon native to eastern Australia. English naturalist George Shaw described the topknot pigeon as Columba antarctica in 1793. The topknot pigeon is sister taxon to a lineage that gave rise to the mountain pigeons (Gymnophaps) of New Guinea, the common ancestor of both diverged from a lineage that gave rise to the kererū and Chatham pigeon.
"Topknot pigeon" has been designated the official common name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC); John Gould noted in 1848 that it had been given this name by the colonists of New South Wales. It is also known by the name of "flock pigeon".
The topknot pigeon is a large predominately slate-grey bird, 40–46 centimetres (16–18 in) in length. The back, coverts and upper secondaries are a darker slate-grey with black quills. The primaries are black, the remaining body in a lighter slate-grey in colour. The chest and hind neck are notched, showing dark bases giving a streaked appearance.[2] The tail is black crossed with a broad grey band. The crest is grey from the cere to the forehead, and russet brown on the crown with black sides. The mandibles are red... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Topknot Pigeon sighting in Royal National Park on a given day, based on 353 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 58th most-seen of the 178 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Topknot Pigeon in Royal National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Topknot Pigeon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Topknot Pigeon sightings, Royal National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Columbidae
The closest relatives of the Topknot Pigeon that you can see in Royal National Park (family Columbidae, Pigeons and Doves) are Wonga Pigeon (about 10%) and Crested Pigeon (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Topknot Pigeon is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal National Park (353 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
