2022 TORRESIAN IMPERIAL-PIGEON COUNT

The coast count project is gathering long-term data about Torresian Imperial-Pigeon (TIPs) in Queensland.

These birds, also known as Pied Imperial-Pigeon or Torres Strait Pigeon, have a hugely important ecological role in dispersing seeds of our native forest fruits. As local birders know, TIPs build their nests on offshore islands that lack suitable food, so they fly to the mainland coast to feed each day. They usually return to their islands in the late afternoon, giving us an excellent opportunity to count them as they fly from the coast out to sea.

The coast count project has expanded greatly from a small start in 2007. We now have count sites spread out over more than 800 km of the Queensland coast. 

Some sites have been counted only once or twice, while other sites have had consistent coverage for many years and thus provide very important data. It will become even…