Types
Pigeons and doves form the family Columbidae, with more than 300 wild species around the world. This section covers those wild birds, from familiar town and woodland pigeons to regional doves, and the domestic and fancy breeds developed from the rock dove. Each profile looks at identification, voice and range, or at a breed’s history and care.
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Types
Chinese Owl Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Chinese Owl Pigeon is also known as the Whiskered Owl Pigeon, and is used for exhibitions, as ornamental birds, and they are sometimes taken in as pets.…
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Types
Birmingham Roller Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Birmingham Roller Pigeon is a very popular domestic pigeon. As its name suggests, it was developed and popularised in the Birmingham area of the United Kingdom. Through…
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Types
Dragoon Pigeon: Breed Guide
One of the oldest existent breeds, there is written evidence of the Dragoon Pigeon in 1735. Itself a breed developed through selective breeding, it is one of the…
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Types
Old German Owl Pigeon: Breed Guide
Known by the Germans as the Altdeutsches Mövchen, the Old German Owl Pigeon is a domestic fancy pigeon breed that originally came from Germany and is the starting model…
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Types
Egyptian Swift Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Egyptian Swift Pigeon is so named because its long wings and fast flight recall the swift. It has a short beak and long wings, along with a…
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Types
Antwerp Smerle Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Antwerp Smerle was one of the main pigeons that was used to breed the common homing pigeon. Known for their distinctive color patterns and fancy beaks, they…
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Types
Oriental Roller Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Oriental Roller is from the family of roller pigeons. These are named for their ability to “roll” (somersault) in the air and are produced through selective breeding.…
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Types
Ice Pigeon (Eistaube): Colours, Breed Standard, Origin and Care
The Ice pigeon (German Eistaube, Polish Lazurek) is one of the oldest German colour pigeons. It is a sturdy, low-standing bird with a very pale ice-blue ground colour,…
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Types
Jacobin Pigeon: Breed Guide to the Hood, Origin and Care
The Jacobin is a breed of fancy pigeon known for its hood: reversed neck feathers that form a hood over the head, a mane behind it and a…
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Types
The Frillback Pigeon: Breed Guide
The Frillback is an old fancy pigeon breed with decorative frills, or curls, on the wing shield feathers; in a good bird the frills are very curly. It…
