_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Bronze Varieties: Archangel Bronze, Kite, Modena, Tippler, Toy Stencil,
Roller, Brander and Lebanon. The Dilution of Bronze is Pale
Autosomal Color Traits: Grizzle G, Spread S, Recessive red e, Recessive Opal o -
Dominant Opal Od, Milky my, Smoky sy, Indigo In, Albino al, Gazzi g, Slate Sl.
Capital letter symbols designate Dominant genotypes - Lower Cap’s the recessives.
Locus one: Almond & Faded. Locus two: Ash Red & Brown. Locus three: Dilution & Pale.
Locus four: Reduced.
Roller, Brander and Lebanon. The Dilution of Bronze is Pale
Autosomal Color Traits: Grizzle G, Spread S, Recessive red e, Recessive Opal o -
Dominant Opal Od, Milky my, Smoky sy, Indigo In, Albino al, Gazzi g, Slate Sl.
Capital letter symbols designate Dominant genotypes - Lower Cap’s the recessives.
Locus one: Almond & Faded. Locus two: Ash Red & Brown. Locus three: Dilution & Pale.
Locus four: Reduced.
Pigeon Pages
We have included this informative addition to broaden our scope of interesting topics
Pigeon Science
Chromosomal Loci of Sex Linked color varieties
Rock Dove: the common name for the original pigeon
Columba livia: the scientific name for pigeon
Ornithology: the study of birds
Iridescence: the glistening sheen found on neck feathers
Hackle: the neck feathers of a bird
Hen or Dam: an adult female pigeon
Cock or Sire: an adult male pigeon
Hatchling: a pigeon that has just come out of its egg
Squab: a young pigeon from 1 to 30 days old
Squeaker: a young bird learning to eat
Fledgling: a bird learning to fly
Juvenile: a bird out of the nest and flying
Morph: an inherent physical feature
Columba livia: the scientific name for pigeon
Ornithology: the study of birds
Iridescence: the glistening sheen found on neck feathers
Hackle: the neck feathers of a bird
Hen or Dam: an adult female pigeon
Cock or Sire: an adult male pigeon
Hatchling: a pigeon that has just come out of its egg
Squab: a young pigeon from 1 to 30 days old
Squeaker: a young bird learning to eat
Fledgling: a bird learning to fly
Juvenile: a bird out of the nest and flying
Morph: an inherent physical feature
Pigeon Nomenclature
Pigeon News
Ever wonder what goes on inside the minds of pigeons?
Whither the pigeon? Ubiquitous beast, rat of the sky, object of children’s chase — how did this “un-bird,”
as some ornithologists deride Columba Livia, become part of every city’s natural environment?
The answers span geography, evolution and culture, but the excellent “Super dove: How the Pigeon Took
Manhattan . . . and the World” goes beyond, to explore what pigeons reveal about human nature.
It isn’t always pretty.
Skip to next paragraph Pigeons, or rock doves, are probably the first bird to have been domesticated, around 3000 B.C.
Though hardly anyone thinks of pigeons as dinner these days, early explorers and travellers brought them
along as food. (“Was it wrong for an observer to eat her subject?” Humphries asks.
Thirty-seven dollars later, she pronounces squab “delicious.”) Inevitably, birds escaped their pursuers, but
instead of returning to the wild, pigeons made themselves comfortable in villages and cities, where food
and nesting sites were plentiful.
Populations of feral pigeons grew, as did populations of humans: westward ho. Meanwhile, captive pigeons
were bred for three very different purposes: food, show and racing. As Humphries notes: “A pigeon’s
relationship with people is the condition that most guides its fate. Pigeon fancying represents the most
dependent relationship; in exchange for food and shelter, the pigeons give complete genetic control to their
owners.” Pigeons kept casually in dovecotes “hovered between wildness and domestication in a way the
fancy birds didn’t. They still had the ability to bridge two worlds.”
Though hardly anyone thinks of pigeons as dinner these days, early explorers and travellers brought them
along as food. (“Was it wrong for an observer to eat her subject?” Humphries asks.
Thirty-seven dollars later, she pronounces squab “delicious.”) Inevitably, birds escaped their pursuers, but
instead of returning to the wild, pigeons made themselves comfortable in villages and cities, where food
and nesting sites were plentiful.
Populations of feral pigeons grew, as did populations of humans: westward ho. Meanwhile, captive pigeons
were bred for three very different purposes: food, show and racing. As Humphries notes: “A pigeon’s
relationship with people is the condition that most guides its fate. Pigeon fancying represents the most
dependent relationship; in exchange for food and shelter, the pigeons give complete genetic control to their
owners.” Pigeons kept casually in dovecotes “hovered between wildness and domestication in a way the
fancy birds didn’t. They still had the ability to bridge two worlds.”
As Robert Sullivan did in researching “Rats,” Humphries, a science writer who lives in Boston, spent
countless hours in filthy alleys observing the object of her curiosity. She learns that both male and female
pigeons produce crop milk for babies; a pigeon population can quintuple in a year; pigeon dung contains
saltpetre; the sex of individuals can’t be determined until breeding season, when males puff their feathers
and start herding a chosen mate (females “can be identified simply by their willingness to put up with it”).
The author discovers, also, that pigeons occupy a special position in human cosmology.
They’re “incongruous,” she writes, “an animal that seemed comfortable in a world of concrete and steel.”
And while we consider nature sacred, city pigeons aren’t part of nature.
“They no longer fit into convenient categories.” Why do such categories matter? Because how we view and
treat animals isn’t “just a cultural debate; our internal biases help to shape the external conditions that
other species face.”
By providing them with habitat and food, we’ve turned pigeons into “hardy, disease-resistant breeding
machines” — super doves. While people disrespect pigeons because they’re common, most scientists
ignore them because they’re special, not representative.
The behavioural psychologist B. F. Skinner took a broader view. Among the book’s more hilarious sections
and there are many, is the story of his efforts to sell the National Defence Research Committee on pigeons
who’d been trained to guide offensive missiles to a target by pecking at a bull’s-eye.
Unfortunately, Humphries writes, “the primary behavioural challenge for Project Pigeon was not in
guiding the actions of pigeons but rather the human sponsors.” Even after watching a flawless
demonstration, evaluators declined to endorse the birds. As Humphries astutely notes, it’s OK. For animals
to do things people can’t, like sniffing out drugs, but put a dog behind an X-ray scanner and “suddenly a
noble task is just a situation for ridicule.”
A pharmaceutical company came to the same conclusion after training pigeons with 99 percent accuracy
to peck at defective capsules on conveyor belts.
“Even if it worked,” the board of directors argued, “who would buy drugs from a company that used pigeons
for quality control?”
The Un-Pigeon
Purpose
To understand the concept and implications of extinction using the example of the Passenger Pigeon, once an extremely abundant
species that was completely eliminated by humans. To understand that technologies that were seemingly unrelated to the loss of
the bird were actually central to its extinction.
Context
This lesson was developed by two scientists, Dr's. Penny Firth of the U.S. National Science Foundation, and David Blockstein of the
National Council for Science and the Environment, as part of a set of interdisciplinary Science Net Links lessons aimed at improved
understanding of environmental phenomena and events. Some of the lessons integrate topics that cross biological, ecological, and
physical concepts. Others involve elements of economics, history, anthropology, and art. Each lesson is framed by plain-language
background information for the teacher, and includes a selection of instructional tips and activities in the boxes.
The history and ecology of North America are intertwined in a variety of ways. Students should be generally familiar with how the
continent was settled, and how the telegraph and the railroads made communication and movement easier. In the case of the
Passenger Pigeon, these developments brought slaughter, habitat destruction, disturbance of nesting, and ultimately extinction.
Students, having never seen a Passenger Pigeon, may have trouble appreciating that this is a bird that they will never get to see alive.
There are several familiar pigeons still around, including the Mourning Dove, the Rock Dove or "city pigeon," and the domesticated
Carrier Pigeon or "homing pigeon." But the Passenger Pigeon, once one of the most abundant birds in the world, has been lost from
the planet forever. Students who are familiar with the film Jurassic Park may ask if the Passenger Pigeon can be brought back from
DNA that might be recovered from museum specimens. The answer, at least for the present, is no.
It will be important for students to try to picture the North American forests as they were before they were cleared by European settlers.
These forests were immense, far beyond anything that still exists in the temperate zone today. They periodically produced super
abundant crops of mast. The word mast is from Old English mæst, meaning tree fruits such as nuts and acorns. Enormous Passenger
Pigeon flocks located and fed on these seasonal mast crops. Understanding a little about mast will help students with this lesson.
Although mature trees produce some fruit every year, approximately every three or four years all of the oaks, beeches, and similar
hardwoods in a region will produce a vast fruit crop. Such years are called "mast years" and the mast provides important food for forest
animals such as deer, mice, turkeys, and—until a century ago—Passenger Pigeons. Predicting when and where a mast year will occur is
very difficult, and scientists are just beginning to understand some of the environmental factors that seem to be involved- e.g. Winter
temperatures, El Niño.
Masting is an important way that trees can satiate most seed eaters. By producing more seeds than will be eaten, the trees ensure that
some seedlings will survive. You can ask students to look for oaks and beeches along the streets and in the parks near their homes.
If they bring in fruits to show the class, remind them that Native Americans ate both acorns and beechnuts.
The scientific name of the Passenger Pigeon is Ectopistes migratorius. Ecto is from the Latin for "outside" and piste is from Italian
for "trail."
Ectopistes might be translated as "wanderer" or one who goes off the trail. Migratorius is from the Latin migrare, meaning "to change
location periodically." Thus, the bird is very descriptively named the migratory wanderer. Incidentally, the common name was originally
in French, "Pigeón de passage" or "pigeon of passage" because of the astounding size of the migratory flocks passing overhead.
This lesson will help the class consider the human forces that drove the extinction, including both the collective mentality regarding
conservation and the new technologies that made extinction a possibility. The lesson will also show how the biology of this bird locked it
into a death spiral once its population had declined below a critical threshold. Finally, the lesson will suggest some implications of the
loss of an abundant species for the ecosystems of which it was a part and how events that occurred a century or more ago can impact
our modern world.
To understand the concept and implications of extinction using the example of the Passenger Pigeon, once an extremely abundant
species that was completely eliminated by humans. To understand that technologies that were seemingly unrelated to the loss of
the bird were actually central to its extinction.
Context
This lesson was developed by two scientists, Dr's. Penny Firth of the U.S. National Science Foundation, and David Blockstein of the
National Council for Science and the Environment, as part of a set of interdisciplinary Science Net Links lessons aimed at improved
understanding of environmental phenomena and events. Some of the lessons integrate topics that cross biological, ecological, and
physical concepts. Others involve elements of economics, history, anthropology, and art. Each lesson is framed by plain-language
background information for the teacher, and includes a selection of instructional tips and activities in the boxes.
The history and ecology of North America are intertwined in a variety of ways. Students should be generally familiar with how the
continent was settled, and how the telegraph and the railroads made communication and movement easier. In the case of the
Passenger Pigeon, these developments brought slaughter, habitat destruction, disturbance of nesting, and ultimately extinction.
Students, having never seen a Passenger Pigeon, may have trouble appreciating that this is a bird that they will never get to see alive.
There are several familiar pigeons still around, including the Mourning Dove, the Rock Dove or "city pigeon," and the domesticated
Carrier Pigeon or "homing pigeon." But the Passenger Pigeon, once one of the most abundant birds in the world, has been lost from
the planet forever. Students who are familiar with the film Jurassic Park may ask if the Passenger Pigeon can be brought back from
DNA that might be recovered from museum specimens. The answer, at least for the present, is no.
It will be important for students to try to picture the North American forests as they were before they were cleared by European settlers.
These forests were immense, far beyond anything that still exists in the temperate zone today. They periodically produced super
abundant crops of mast. The word mast is from Old English mæst, meaning tree fruits such as nuts and acorns. Enormous Passenger
Pigeon flocks located and fed on these seasonal mast crops. Understanding a little about mast will help students with this lesson.
Although mature trees produce some fruit every year, approximately every three or four years all of the oaks, beeches, and similar
hardwoods in a region will produce a vast fruit crop. Such years are called "mast years" and the mast provides important food for forest
animals such as deer, mice, turkeys, and—until a century ago—Passenger Pigeons. Predicting when and where a mast year will occur is
very difficult, and scientists are just beginning to understand some of the environmental factors that seem to be involved- e.g. Winter
temperatures, El Niño.
Masting is an important way that trees can satiate most seed eaters. By producing more seeds than will be eaten, the trees ensure that
some seedlings will survive. You can ask students to look for oaks and beeches along the streets and in the parks near their homes.
If they bring in fruits to show the class, remind them that Native Americans ate both acorns and beechnuts.
The scientific name of the Passenger Pigeon is Ectopistes migratorius. Ecto is from the Latin for "outside" and piste is from Italian
for "trail."
Ectopistes might be translated as "wanderer" or one who goes off the trail. Migratorius is from the Latin migrare, meaning "to change
location periodically." Thus, the bird is very descriptively named the migratory wanderer. Incidentally, the common name was originally
in French, "Pigeón de passage" or "pigeon of passage" because of the astounding size of the migratory flocks passing overhead.
This lesson will help the class consider the human forces that drove the extinction, including both the collective mentality regarding
conservation and the new technologies that made extinction a possibility. The lesson will also show how the biology of this bird locked it
into a death spiral once its population had declined below a critical threshold. Finally, the lesson will suggest some implications of the
loss of an abundant species for the ecosystems of which it was a part and how events that occurred a century or more ago can impact
our modern world.
Passenger Pigeons
Manny Arquette
Aug. 27, 2009
Origins: Pigeons and doves have been around for a long time—long before humans. Rock Doves are thought to have
originated in southern Asia millions of years ago. Compare this to modern humans that first appeared about 120,000 years ago.
Size and weight: A pigeon is about 13 inches (32 cm) in length from bill to tail and weighs a little less than a pound (0.35 kg).
Males are slightly bigger than females.
Nest and roosting sites: A pigeon nest usually is constructed on covered building ledges that resemble cliffs, a Rock Dove’s
natural habitat. They also nest and roost on the support structures under bridges in cities and along highways.
Nests: Pigeons build their nests with small twigs. A cock brings the nesting material to his mate, one piece at a time, and she
builds the nest. Nests are usually well-hidden and hard to find.
Eggs and incubation: Pigeons usually lay two white eggs. The parents take turns keeping their eggs warm (incubating).
Males usually stay on the nest during the day; females, at night. Eggs take about 18 days to hatch.
Food for young: Both male and female parent pigeons produce a special substance called "pigeon milk," which they feed to
their hatchlings during their first week of life. Pigeon milk is made in a special part of the bird’s digestive system called
the "crop."
When hatchlings are about one week old, the parents start regurgitating seeds with crop milk; eventually seeds replace the
pigeon milk.
Colors: There may be as many as 28 pigeon color types, called "morphs," but Project PigeonWatch groups them into
just seven morphs.
Pigeons also have colorful neck feathers. These iridescent green, yellow, and purple feathers are called "hackle." Adult males
and females look alike, but a male’s hackle is more iridescent than a female’s.
White "color": White feathers are actually feathers that have no color pigments. So, when you see white on pigeons you are
actually seeing no color.
Cool Pigeon Facts
Feathers: Pigeons have many types of feathers including contour feathers, the stiff feathers that give the body its shape, and
down, the fluffy insulating feathers. Many pigeon feathers are accompanied by one or two filoplume feathers, which look like
hairs. These filoplumes may have sensory functions, such as, detecting touch and pressure changes.
Eye colors: Adults have orange or reddish orange eyes; juveniles that are less than six to eight months old have medium brown
or grayish brown eyes.
Leg and feet colors: Pigeon legs and feet are red to pink to grayish black. Their claws are usually grayish black but can be white
on some pigeons. Some birds have "stockings," which are feathers on their legs and feet!
Cere: The cere is the fleshy covering on the upper part of a pigeon's beak. It is grayish in young birds or juveniles, and white
in adults. Albino birds may have pinkish ceres.
Eyesight: Pigeon eyesight is excellent. Like humans, pigeons can see color, but they also can see ultraviolet light—part of the
light spectrum that humans can’t see. Pigeons are sometimes used in human search-and-rescue missions because of their
exceptional vision.
Hearing: Pigeons can hear sounds at much lower frequencies than humans can, such as wind blowing across buildings and
mountains, distant thunderstorms, and even far-away volcanoes. Sensitive hearing may explain why pigeons sometimes fly
away for no apparent reason: maybe they heard something you can’t.
Sounds: Pigeons make two types of sounds: vocal (using voice) and non vocal. The primary call used by males to attract mates
and defend territories is coo roo-c’too-coo. From their nests they might say oh-oo-oor. When they are startled or scared they
might make an alarm call like: oorhh! Pigeon babies make non vocal sounds such as bill snapping and hissing. After mating, males
often make clapping sounds with their wings.
Unique drinking behavior: Most birds take a sip of water and throw back their heads to let the water trickle down their throats.
But pigeons (and all of their relatives in the family Columbidae) suck up water, using their beaks like straws.
Magnetic sensitivity: Do pigeons have compasses in their heads? Not really, but pigeons, especially those bred for their homing
instincts, seem to be able to detect the Earth’s magnetic fields. Cornell University pigeon researcher Dr. Charles Walcott says
that magnetic sensitivity, along with an ability to tell direction by the sun, seems to help pigeons find their ways home.
Locomotion: On the ground, pigeons don’t hop the way many birds do. They walk or run with their heads bobbing back and forth.
Pigeons are strong fliers and can fly up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. Some pigeons are raised for their exceptional abilities to fly
fast and find their ways home.
These pigeons may fly as far as 600 miles in a day. Although feral pigeons are good fliers too, most of these birds seem to stay
close to their regular feeding sites.
Natural predators: One species of falcon, Merlin, eats so many pigeons its scientific name is Falco columbarius
(with the "columba-" meaning pigeon) and it was formerly called Pigeon Hawk. Merlins are medium-sized falcons and although
they are not very common in cities, you can bet they are preying on pigeons living in open parks near marshes and ponds. In
cities where Peregrine Falcons have become established, they catch and eat feral pigeons, often carrying them back to feed to
their nestlings. Red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks also prey on pigeons in cities and in rural areas.
Fancy pigeons : People raise all kinds of fancy pigeons. The breeds have names, such as rollers, tumblers, and fantails, which reflect the way
the birds fly or the way they look. Sometimes, people take their fancy pigeons to compete in shows.
More interesting Pigeon Facts & Stories
Information from ProjectPigeonWatch, a citizen science project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
In the first half of the 20th century, the German apothecary Julius Neubronner
experimented with pigeons in aerial photography. Pigeons were fitted with
miniature breast-mounted cameras for aerial photography. The German
experiments stopped after World War I due to lack of military interest in the
technology, but were briefly taken up later by the German and French
militaries, the CIA, and a Swiss clockmaker.
Four-year-old homing pigeon that has made 15 ascents in a balloon.
The first aerial photographs were taken in 1858 by the balloonist Nadar. Advances in photographic techniques
made their use in unmanned aircraft feasible at the end of the 19th century. In the 1880s, Arthur Batut
experimented with kite aerial photography. Many others followed him, and high-quality photographs of Boston
taken with this method by Eddy in 1896 became famous. Amedee Denisse equipped a rocket with a camera
and a parachute in 1888, and Alfred Nobel also used rocket photography in 1897.
Homing pigeons were used extensively in the 19th and early 20th century, both for civil pigeon post and as
war pigeons. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the famous pigeon post of Paris carried up to 50,000
microfilmed telegrams per pigeon flight from Tours into the besieged capital - one million in total.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.org
Melissa Fellows Story
Pigeons make the desert bearable
Melissa Fellows, Arizona
Birds never caught my attention until I moved to Arizona six years ago. The heat was a shock to me after having
lived in San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle throughout my life. My husband revelled in it after being depressed
from our decade of overcast skies and drizzle, but our cats and I didn’t find it as easy to acclimatize. I was
working at a sanctuary for cats and dogs where I spent half the time outdoors.
The sunrises and sunsets were beautiful, but the weighty discomfort of the daytime heat and dehydration took a
toll on me. It also took a toll on the birds.
My husband and I were out on a stroll as the sun was setting one evening in June; a month of daily 105-112
degree temperatures - when we saw a pigeon literally drop dead from the branch of a palo verde tree. It was
shocking – we’d never seen a bird die before. The next evening, we saw another pigeon having trouble walking
on the rocks and then tumble over dead. It was so sorrowful! This type of sighting happened several more times
and I was heartbroken. I had to do something. These pigeons were absolutely beautiful and they were obviously
tormented by the excessive heat like I was. The next day, I put up a bird feeder. Sparrows and finches flocked to
it and pigeons came to gobble up the seeds that fell beneath it. One feeder turned into many. One birdbath
turned into several. I developed a new passion for gardening in order to create the backyard oasis for the birds
we have today.
We’ve gone through many changes as the initial zeal to feed as many birds as possible brought cats, a
kestrel, a merlin, a red-tailed hawk, and a Harris’s hawk. But we refined it over time and now have a safe and
serene sanctuary. No matter how many interesting migrants and unusual visitors come through, the pigeons are
our favourites. We have a small flock now (we’ve named them all) that come in and out throughout the day, a
few who roost here at night, a couple nests being built, and several pigeons that have come every day for years.
We nursed my favourite pigeon, Droopy, back to health last summer
and he’s my dear friend.
He even visits with the cats through the locked screen door –
they adore each other.
I have built such a strong relationship with the pigeons that they climb
all over us for food and follow me around or perch on my shoulder.
Our respect for life and for nature has increased tenfold, and my
pleasure in living in the desert is all due to the companionship of our
friendly pigeons.
and he’s my dear friend.
He even visits with the cats through the locked screen door –
they adore each other.
I have built such a strong relationship with the pigeons that they climb
all over us for food and follow me around or perch on my shoulder.
Our respect for life and for nature has increased tenfold, and my
pleasure in living in the desert is all due to the companionship of our
friendly pigeons.
I have Asperger’s disorder.
My first contact with pigeons was at the North Central Florida Pigeon Fanciers Show in January 2007. At the
show my mother and I walked among the cages looking at these cool and cute birds. In the sale area we came
upon some fantail pigeons. I took a liking to them. We wanted to purchase the fantails, but the gentleman owner
gave us 4 of them.
At first I thought they would bite me, so I kept my hands away from them. I am afraid of animals. My mom held
one in her hands and showed me they would not bite. I stroked the bird and we took them home.
Later we converted
a pigeon coop. I helped my mom with this. I am not much on cleaning the coop as I am very
I also helped trim the rear feathers to help in breeding.
When I feed and water them, I like to give
at my birds.
Mr. and Mrs. Rex are sitting on eggs and I watch to see when they will hatch.
I love my pigeons especially the rust
colored cock, “Mr. Rex”. I also have two cocks that are named “Rex One”
I like petting them and looking into their pretty soft eyes and feel their soft feathers.
I can now catch them by myself and this
Also listening to them cooing is a soft sound that does not bother my sensitivity to sound.
Mom and I were
curious to the taste of a pigeon egg, so she cooked one. Just like a chicken egg, but too small for a meal.
I don’t have many friends, because other kids don’t understand my disorder. My pigeons are the greatest,
they have opened up a new world for me.
Note: Patrick’s story was written with the input from NPA Junior Member Patrick, his mother Kim, and
Association Representative Florida
Bill Burnside writes: Recently I had a visit with Kim and Patrick. He is a nice kid who is very, very
enthusiastic and super active. I found out he can out talk me, which is quite an accomplishment.
I told Patrick I was getting a pair of pigeons with real curly feathers (Frillback). I invited him to name
the birds. The white cock is now named “King Squanto” and the black hen is “Brockly”. Yes, you read
it correctly! From young minds come the best pigeon names.
Thank you to the gentleman at the show who showed an interest in Patrick by giving him some birds.
Your help opened a new world for this child.
Learn about city pigeons, watch pigeons for science,
learn cool facts, and increase your awareness of nature
in your neighborhood.
Observe pigeons (It takes only a few minutes)
Find activities that combine the arts, learning about nature
in your own neighborhood, and science.
Participate on your own or with your group.
No knowledge of birds required!
It's easy and fun.
Project PigeonWatch
Sign Up for PigeonWatch!
our chicken coop into
sensitive to smell. I am hypersensitive
to touch, taste, smell and sound.
a petting and just look
Famous Strains of Racing Pigeons
Busschaert - Belgium
Fabry - Belgium
Janssen – Belgium
Gurnay - Belgium
Hansenne - Belgium
Meulemans – Belgium
Van Den Bosch – Belgium
Van Loon – Belgium
Jan Aarden – Netherlands
Sion - France
Logan - England
Vin Blanden – Australia
Dangerfield – Australia
Goodger – Australia
Pryor – Australia
Fabry - Belgium
Janssen – Belgium
Gurnay - Belgium
Hansenne - Belgium
Meulemans – Belgium
Van Den Bosch – Belgium
Van Loon – Belgium
Jan Aarden – Netherlands
Sion - France
Logan - England
Vin Blanden – Australia
Dangerfield – Australia
Goodger – Australia
Pryor – Australia
Aussie Editor
John Hofman
John Hofman
Pigeon Articles
and Human Interest Stories
and Human Interest Stories
Colin writes, quote:
All articles herein are the sole copyright property of contributing Authors and must not be reproduced without written consent
National Pigeon
THE FOUNDATION OF THE MODERN RACING PIGEON
Well, Mons. Georges Gits has presented plenty of evidence indicating that it was not Ulens who was the founder
of the modern racing pigeon. It couldn’t have been the likes of Dedoyard, Gouelissen and Bonjean, names of
fanciers lost in the chronicles of history. According to Renier Gurnay, these were the fanciers from whom
Verviers fancier Mons. Alexandre Hansenne’s birds descended.
It is understood these little known birds were mainly comprised of ship birds developed by Dutch, English, Irish
and other fishermen and trace back to the early 1800’s. An egg from Dedoyard produced a bronze chequer
cock for Hansenne. Dedoyard obtained his birds from Mons. Coutellier of Havre and they were known as the
Irish race, old voyageurs, likely to be the McCluthin birds descended from ship birds used by Captains sailing the
channel ports and relaying messages to owners re estimated docking times and details of cargo manifests etc.
Way back in 1866 Hansenne took a liking to a mosaic cock which was an outstanding racer in the district.
of the modern racing pigeon. It couldn’t have been the likes of Dedoyard, Gouelissen and Bonjean, names of
fanciers lost in the chronicles of history. According to Renier Gurnay, these were the fanciers from whom
Verviers fancier Mons. Alexandre Hansenne’s birds descended.
It is understood these little known birds were mainly comprised of ship birds developed by Dutch, English, Irish
and other fishermen and trace back to the early 1800’s. An egg from Dedoyard produced a bronze chequer
cock for Hansenne. Dedoyard obtained his birds from Mons. Coutellier of Havre and they were known as the
Irish race, old voyageurs, likely to be the McCluthin birds descended from ship birds used by Captains sailing the
channel ports and relaying messages to owners re estimated docking times and details of cargo manifests etc.
Way back in 1866 Hansenne took a liking to a mosaic cock which was an outstanding racer in the district.
In order to secure it he had to buy the entire loft of birds from its owner and then dispose of every bird except
the mosaic. This loft is thought to be that of Gouelissen although the colour does not match the Gouelissen
report so it could have been another unnamed introduction to his strain. That same year a champion Blue cock
had won 2000 pounds for its owner, Bonjean. Once again he purchased the entire loft to obtain that bird and
disposed of the rest. Then in 1875 Hansenne obtained from Vekemans the “Mongrel from the Zoo”.
It is said that this pigeon raised Hansenne from an admirable competitor to the “best in the world” overnight.
This pigeon – the Schalieblauwe of 1875 – and whose origin was only known to Hansenne and Vekemans.
She was a slatey coloured hen. There were actually two slatey coloured hens from Vekemans, both very small
but one was quickly identified as of poor quality and dismissed.
the mosaic. This loft is thought to be that of Gouelissen although the colour does not match the Gouelissen
report so it could have been another unnamed introduction to his strain. That same year a champion Blue cock
had won 2000 pounds for its owner, Bonjean. Once again he purchased the entire loft to obtain that bird and
disposed of the rest. Then in 1875 Hansenne obtained from Vekemans the “Mongrel from the Zoo”.
It is said that this pigeon raised Hansenne from an admirable competitor to the “best in the world” overnight.
This pigeon – the Schalieblauwe of 1875 – and whose origin was only known to Hansenne and Vekemans.
She was a slatey coloured hen. There were actually two slatey coloured hens from Vekemans, both very small
but one was quickly identified as of poor quality and dismissed.
It is also interesting to note that in his book, “The Production of a Strain”, Lt-Col A.H.Osman, O.B.E., Osman
didn’t entirely agree with Felix Gigot on another subject concerning the breeding practices of Mons. Blampain.
Osman says in his introduction in the book, quote, “But my visit to Blampain in the spring of 1904 to obtain
these birds was an object lesson. I did not come away from the loft with the convinced idea that Blampain was
the great consanguinist (in-breeder) the late F. Gigot had contended. On the contrary, certain small lofts in his
garden made me think he practiced crossing. His explanation, however, was that he obtained birds of his own
breed back from lofts that he had supplied birds to, and that by re-introducing his own blood that had
benefited by change of environment, it was better and safer than a cross.
The early development of the Belgian Racing Homer took two distinct lines in three areas, Antwerp, and the
neighbouring districts of Leige & Verviers. In Antwerp, various crosses of “Smerle” and “Cumulet” were used.
The English varieties of the “Carrier”, “Dragoon” and “Horseman” (similar to the Carrier and derived from
Persia via Egypt and Turkey) were added to produce a very successful flying bird which became known as
the “Antwerp”. The “Antwerp”, probably due to the English Carrier cross, was a heavier bodied and bolder
headed than the Leige and Verviers type. They raced very reliably in flights from London to Antwerp.
Concurrently with the development of the Antwerp racer in Antwerp, the fanciers of Liege and Verviers districts
were developing one of their own, independently of Antwerp and, to a great extent, of one another. The fanciers of
the Leige district used a cross of the frilled Owl or Turbit with the Cumulet and a descendant variety of the Eastern
Carrier which for many years had been living wild in Belgium, produced the “Smerle” of Leige which was
distinguished for its racing ability. It is well known that as far back as the 1820’s the Verviers and Leige pigeons
were flying 500 miles on the day. There were several varieties of semi-wild pigeons, survivors of the domesticated
Varieties of previous ages in Western Europe, which may have been used at first experimentally, by the Belgians in
the early development of the modern racing pigeon. It is for this reason that different districts evolved distinct and
different types but although at first distinct and varying origin, the Liege and Verviers pigeons did not differ greatly
in type or characteristics – certainly not so much as both differed from the Antwerp. The Antwerp pigeons were
larger and coarser birds, much longer in feather, but not nearly so thick coated as the smaller Leige & Verviers
pigeons. The Leige and Verviers type were short faced pigeons with bull necks, broad chests, short feet, and
wonderful shoulders and stretch of wing, but all in splendid proportion.
There was a fourth development, The Brussels and the rest Family. The Brussels pigeons were smaller than the
Antwerps, but larger and longer cast than the Verviers. The fanciers of Brussels, which included many fanciers
outside Brussels, crossed the Leige and Antwerp , or the Liege and Verviers. The best long distance breeders of
Belgium learned from experience that the Antwerps, if crossed direct with either Verviers or Leige birds, gave
very bad results. That is to say, a first cross of the Verviers x Antwerp families or the Leige x Antwerp families.
But good results could be obtained by crossing Verviers x Antwerp together, and then breeding from the young of
Verviers x Antwerp with a full-blooded Verviers, or a full blooded Antwerp. It was in this manner that the majority
of the best Brussels birds were produced. From this evolved quite a distinct type of their own and what we now
know as the present modern day racing pigeon. Some of the most successful old Brussels fanciers were N. Barker,
an Englishman who became a naturalized Belgian, in order to hold property rights in Belgium. Others were
Jules Janssens, Delmotte, Rey, Jurion (although he did not live in Brussels but bred & flew the Brussels type),
Missiaen, Duchatteau, Grooter, Carpentier and Pletinckx.
Acknowledgements’ for sources of information:-
Leo Turley: - Alexandre Hansenne – “The Best Loft in the World”. (2009)
Henri Gigot: - Study of the Eyes and the Great Families. (1925)
Wing Commander Lea Rayner: - The Creation of a Strain. (1955)
Lt-Col A.H.Osman, O.B.E.:- The Production of a Strain (1914-1918)
Bill Burnside,
and “Rex Two”.
gives me a nice feeling.
are my friends, and
For the Birds
Manny Arquette
Sep. 10, 2009
Sumayyah Meehan, Muslim Medea News Service
(MMNS) Middle East Correspondent
The hobby of pigeon raising in the Middle East goes back several years. Enthusiasts spend a great
deal of time and money acquiring rare and beautiful birds. The supplies for housing pigeons are also
very expensive. Pigeon owners often build elaborate cages on their rooftops or in their gardens.
Each cage typically holds around thirty birds. A devout pigeon master often pays more attention to
his birds than he does to his own children, because one sick bird can destroy the entire lot.
For many enthusiasts, they have turned a mere hobby into an exact science.
There are so many rare varieties of pigeons, each varying in color, sheen and ability. The most popular
in the Gulf region include the Sherazi, Sudani and Baljiki. However, the favorite pigeon amongst
enthusiasts is known as the ‘flipper’. The reason it is so popular is because of its mid-flight aerobics that
it performs at great heights, flipping full circle without losing speed. Exquisite and unique pigeons are
much sought after by wealthy hobbyists who are often willing to pay thousands of dollars to acquire a
prized bird for their collection. It is not uncommon for buyers to trade their expensive luxury cars and
watches for a single bird. Most of the time, however, a lump of cash is enough to seal the deal.
Pigeon raising is also a lucrative sport. Enthusiasts gather to race their pigeons in competition with
other birds. Most competitors will select their top five pigeons to perform in endurance races against
the wind.
The competitions are primarily held during the months of September and October when winds in the
open desert often exceed 60 kilometers per hour. Each bird’s flight is measured in terms of resistance.
Come March, prize-winning pigeons are tucked away into their cages with equally alluring mates.
The offspring of award winning pigeons can fetch even more money than the ‘contender’ bird himself.
Newly hatched birds are also very easy to train for an optimum life span of racing and bringing joy to
his master’s eyes.
In Saudi Arabia, where pigeon raising is a part of local traditions, there is a special pigeon market held
every Friday in the city of Medina. The market opens right after the dawn prayers and bustles for
several hours to around mid-morning when the heat of the desert sun becomes unbearable. Bidding
wars are common during the auctions held for the most sought-after birds and often get heated as the
passion for pigeon rearing usually defies all reason.
However, not everyone has the bankroll to fund an elaborate pigeon pen plus fill it with expensive
birds, then feed and pay for the medicines often needed to keep the birds healthy. In the state of
Kuwait, the love for pigeons is a public affair. Right in the center of Kuwait City is what has come to be
known as ‘Pigeon Square’.
Hundreds of pigeons descend upon the square around the clock, often mingling with shoppers and
spectators alike. The area is lined with small grocery stores and meat shops.
It has long been a Kuwaiti tradition during the Holy Month of Ramadan to take the children of the
family to visit the pigeons of Pigeon Square right before the Iftar meal. The grocery stores often see a
rise in business as visitors often buy bread to feed the pigeons. In return, the pigeons ‘dot’ the landscape
with their droppings, which the very same shop owners must clean up. Many locals have longed for the
square to be turned into a tourist destination complete with refurbished structures, restaurants and cafes.
Hundreds of ancient columbaria have been found in Israel, a few dozens of them in and around
the city of Jerusalem. Most of them were built in manmade caves. The others were built above
the ground in the form of towers. These were found in the City of David, Jericho, Masada,
Herodium and in other cities in Israel,dating back to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods.
Most of those that were built above the ground did not survive. Some that were created under the
ground remained in good shape. A number of them, found close to Beit Govrin, south-west of
Jerusalem, are shown in the documented pictures.
Pigeons have been cultivated for thousands of years, for many different reasons
Records from ancient Persia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, China and many other locations in the Middle
East and Asia prove that pigeons were cultivated for food, for use in religious ceremonies, sports
and, of particular importance in history, as messengers.
It is interesting that this common little bird, so familiar to all of us, has represented some of
the most noble and positive symbols, in almost every culture around the world.
The dove has been associated with motherhood and femininity. For example, the Sumerian
mother-goddess Ishtar is often portrayed as holding a pigeon. The ancient Phoenicians
Associated Astarte, the goddess of love and fertility, with the dove.
The Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus were both symbolically
represented by doves. In China, the dove historically symbolized fidelity and longevity.
There were superstitions in medieval Europe that claimed that devils and witches could turn
themselves into birds, but not into doves – suggesting the purity of the dove.
Dove of Peace and Love by Motke Blum of Jerusalem
Question: Do People Eat Pigeons in the Middle East?
By Saad Fayed
I recently heard something about people in Egypt eating pigeons. Is this true? Are pigeons
really used as an ingredient in Egyptian recipes?
Answer: Though this probably isn’t the answer that everyone was hoping, the answer
is yes. Pigeon is consumed in Egypt. The first known record of domesticated pigeons was
in Egypt around 3000 BC. Pigeons, also known as hamaam, are considered a delicacy
in the country, and while small, they are expensive.They can be prepared much like
chickens and turkeys usually are,cooked whole, stuffed, or as part of a dish. One of the
most common ways to prepare them though is stuffed, where you can find them whole on
a bed of bulgur or rice.
There is not a lot of meat on a pigeon which is why one or two is usually served per
person. Often you will find a tahini yogurt dip to accompany the bird.
Falcons have been used for hunting in The Gulf for centuries and are now used by David
Stead's business to scare pigeons from the rooftops of luxury hotels in Dubai.
By Saad Fayed
I recently heard something about people in Egypt eating pigeons. Is this true? Are pigeons
really used as an ingredient in Egyptian recipes?
Answer: Though this probably isn’t the answer that everyone was hoping, the answer
is yes. Pigeon is consumed in Egypt. The first known record of domesticated pigeons was
in Egypt around 3000 BC. Pigeons, also known as hamaam, are considered a delicacy
in the country, and while small, they are expensive.They can be prepared much like
chickens and turkeys usually are,cooked whole, stuffed, or as part of a dish. One of the
most common ways to prepare them though is stuffed, where you can find them whole on
a bed of bulgur or rice.
There is not a lot of meat on a pigeon which is why one or two is usually served per
person. Often you will find a tahini yogurt dip to accompany the bird.
Falcons have been used for hunting in The Gulf for centuries and are now used by David
Stead's business to scare pigeons from the rooftops of luxury hotels in Dubai.
Imad Saoud has about 100 trained birds, in Amman, Jordan, which he grooms and flies in formation
Pigeon
Pictorials
Pictorials
Photos Courtesy of
Photos Courtesy of
Location of Beijing
Eye of Chinese Nasal Tuft
Chinese Spot pair
Chinese Nasal Tuft young birds
Pair of Chinese Nasal Tufts
Snowflower
Black Two Patches Pair
Black Page Nasal Tuft
Black Ringbreast
Black Spot Chinese Nasal Tuft - wearing whistle
Black Two Patches & whistles
The Chinese Nasal Tufted Pigeons have been bred for centuries in the Beijing
area, where they are considered to be the most prestigious pigeon.
They are very rare in the United States of America.
area, where they are considered to be the most prestigious pigeon.
They are very rare in the United States of America.
The Australian Avian Research Organization is highly appreciative of
the excellent photography contributed by J. P. & Sylvia Isom
the excellent photography contributed by J. P. & Sylvia Isom
President & Secretary - Tresearurer of the United Oriental Roller Club
China into the New Millenia
The Australian Avian Research Organization wishes to thank the All-China Women’s Federation:
womenofchina @163.com - for the highly informative and valued article and photography.
womenofchina @163.com - for the highly informative and valued article and photography.
Manny Arquette
Nov. 29, 2009
Pigeon Flutes and Whistles of China
The Australian Avian Research Organization wishes to thank the City of Walnut
Creek, California for the highly informative and valued article and photography
Creek, California for the highly informative and valued article and photography
Pan T'ien Chiao Jen Beauties of the Mid-Heaven Pigeon Flutes and Whistles from China By James
Pomeroy Howe Pigeon keeping in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and China dates well into
antiquity. Pigeons were domesticated and used as a source of food (both eggs and meat), and their
droppings used as fertilizer. Their homing instinct and speed made them ideal couriers in times of
both war and peace.
In China, accounts of the cultivation of pigeons as prized possessions date from the Southern Sung
Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279) at which time pigeon breeding and flying was a fashionable hobby among
wealthy young men. Pigeons were known as ch'a yü chia jen (winged maidens). The cult of pigeon
raising endured, transcending social class and centering in urban areas.
The introduction of pigeon flutes appears to date from the Ch'ing Dynasty in the seventeenth century.
Records from this period specify particularly talented flute and whistle makers. The origin of the practice,
however, is not known.
It has been suggested that birds with whistles were used to keep flocks together and deter predator hawks.
Another theory connects them to the Chinese "whistling arrows" used to signal the movement of troops
during warfare.
The whistles and flutes are very light, each weighing only a few grams. They were fashioned from gourds
and bamboo. They were attached to the tails of young pigeons by means of fine copper wire. When the
birds fly, wind flows through the apertures which are tuned to different pitches creating a musical effect
something like "flying pipe organs".
The whistles and flutes exhibited here were collected by James Howe in China in the 1930s. After he
passed away in 1970, Howe donated them to the Lowie (now Phoebe Hearst) Museum of Anthropology at
the University of California, Berkeley, which has loaned the flutes to Howe Homestead Park.
Pigeons to Captivate the Heart
The Escampadissa Roller
The roof is made of 15 x 15 cm squares.
The second floor has smaller holes.
The pigeon followed by the falcon flies
thru the roof and the pigeon thru the
smaller holes in the second floor.
The falcon is caught between roof and
second floor.
The second floor has smaller holes.
The pigeon followed by the falcon flies
thru the roof and the pigeon thru the
smaller holes in the second floor.
The falcon is caught between roof and
second floor.
I am one of the few people outside Majorca that breeds and flies this beautiful bird. It is a very old
breed, the Moors brought them in the year 1000 to Spain and who knows how long they had this
breed. It is very likely the ancestor of many high flying and tumblers of today.
The Escampadissa was originally created for its beautiful way of flying, not for catching the Falcon.
This happened later. I first saw a picture in the SIS (my Spanish pigeon club) magazine.
I was immediately interested and started to learn more about this pigeon. A few years ago I was able to
buy all the Escampadissa of Mr. Rossello, a Majorcan living in France near Lyon.
Escampadissa fly different than any other pigeon I know; only Nikolajewer are somewhat similar.
They fly with the tips of their wings only. It looks like rowing. Slowly they go up together to about 1 km.
Then all of a sudden they scatter over the sky like fireworks (Escampar). This is a big thrill for me to
watch. One moment they are all together and the next moment they are all over the sky! The goal is to
have them do it many times and keep them in the air longer. After they are done flying they will come
down in short dives. When there is a bird of prey they dive full speed from high in the air straight into
their loft.
Their loft is really the only place they feel safe and they have a very strong urge to go back
in it. This habit has been used to catch the Falcon by using a loft with a double ceiling.
breed, the Moors brought them in the year 1000 to Spain and who knows how long they had this
breed. It is very likely the ancestor of many high flying and tumblers of today.
The Escampadissa was originally created for its beautiful way of flying, not for catching the Falcon.
This happened later. I first saw a picture in the SIS (my Spanish pigeon club) magazine.
I was immediately interested and started to learn more about this pigeon. A few years ago I was able to
buy all the Escampadissa of Mr. Rossello, a Majorcan living in France near Lyon.
Escampadissa fly different than any other pigeon I know; only Nikolajewer are somewhat similar.
They fly with the tips of their wings only. It looks like rowing. Slowly they go up together to about 1 km.
Then all of a sudden they scatter over the sky like fireworks (Escampar). This is a big thrill for me to
watch. One moment they are all together and the next moment they are all over the sky! The goal is to
have them do it many times and keep them in the air longer. After they are done flying they will come
down in short dives. When there is a bird of prey they dive full speed from high in the air straight into
their loft.
Their loft is really the only place they feel safe and they have a very strong urge to go back
in it. This habit has been used to catch the Falcon by using a loft with a double ceiling.
The first year I had Escampadissa flying I made the mistake of having just a very narrow opening in the
roof of the loft. That year I killed two Hawks, one Sparrow hawk and a Peregrine Falcon.
This is not my goal, I don't like to kill wild birds and now I open the loft on all sides so the bird of prey is
not killed anymore, it was a mistake but it proves the speed of the Escampadissa. I have seen Wuta's
and Wamme diving but none have brakes like the Escampadissa. They stop from full speed to zero in
one meter!
Escampadissa were not originally meant to catch falcons. They were bred for their typical and very
unusual flying style and for the "explosion" of the kit high in the air (Escampar). The catching of the
falcon started a few hundred years ago as a winter sport at the Isle of Mallorca where the European
Peregrine Falcon winters. As a diving breed they were very useful to bring down the Falcon into a
special loft built as a trap. Rapidly the Escampadissa evolved skills to escape the Falcon because of
natural selection. More diving breeds like Wuta or Adena Wamme can be trained for catching falcons
in this way as well.
Escampadissa are not long flyers and not easy to train. In general they don't like to fly at all, and would
rather stay in the loft. You have to chase the birds carefully to get them to fly.
Many people dropped out of Escampadissa because of their difficult training. When you have patience
like my friend Hans and me you will be rewarded with some very spectacular flying that makes it worth
everything.
It is highly illegal to capture a bird of prey here in Holland and that is why I don't try to catch them but it
is a nice sport and the velocity of Escampadissa coming down followed by the Peregrine Falcon is an
excitement every nature lover can enjoy, both pigeon lover and wild bird watcher as well.
Escampadissa
Faster than a Falcon
The Spanish Sporting Pouter
Picas (Deportivo)
Originating in Spain the Palomas Deportiva
or Pica for short are flown in competitions
known as Sueltas. They have caught on
on other Spanish speaking countries,
Holland some sections of the United States
and other nations as well. There is no show
standard for the Deportivo, it is strictly a
performance breed, although at some shows,
their performance is exhibited.
or Pica for short are flown in competitions
known as Sueltas. They have caught on
on other Spanish speaking countries,
Holland some sections of the United States
and other nations as well. There is no show
standard for the Deportivo, it is strictly a
performance breed, although at some shows,
their performance is exhibited.
They are a medium sized bird but are full
of passion. The Suelta which is a competition
where a hen is flown with a white feather tied
to one of her tail feathers. Sometimes 100
cock birds or more, all brightly painted, are
flown to try and "score points" (literally and
figuratively) with the selected hen. There is big
prize money in many places. 10,000 Euro for
the winner is not uncommon.
All the cock birds are painted in the competition
with each owner having his own set of patterns
and colors. All the colors are logged with the
Suelta organization and on printed cards so
everyone can see who each bird belongs to.
This is Rene promoting the Pica sport at his local fancy
pigeon club
pigeon club
After the competition, the birds
are collected and returned to
their owners.
are collected and returned to
their owners.
Seville 2005 (photo by Rene Kruter)
Blue Bar hen
Just before the Suelta the cock
birds are “pumped up” by teasing
them with a hen in the centre cage
by making them look at her without
being able to go to her.
Photo by Abel Diaz.
birds are “pumped up” by teasing
them with a hen in the centre cage
by making them look at her without
being able to go to her.
Photo by Abel Diaz.
The Australian Avian Research Organization is highly appreciative of the
excellent photography contributed by René Kruter
http://members.lycos.nl/kruter/index.html
Pigeon Breeds
Manny Arquette
Jan. 4, 2010