Columbidae

The kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is a large fruit pigeon that in New Zealand is an important seed disperser for native plant species. However, little is known about recent changes in kereru densities and how these changes might affect seed dispersal services. We used long-term kereru counts and seedfall trap data from Pelorus in Marlborough to measure trends in bird abundance and seed dispersal.

The hypothesis that communal roosts and breeding colonies of birds act as information centres for food-finding was tested using pigeons, Columba livia, in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. The birds roosted and bred in lofts, but were free each day to search for food in the surrounding fields. Two of three experiments showed that naive pigeons could learn the location of a patch of food when with experienced birds. A fourth experiment showed that naive birds learned by following experienced ones to a good feeding area.