News Digest

Pigeon pageant lets the underrated birds strut their stuff

It turns out dogs aren’t the only animals vying for beauty prizes. Hundreds of breeds of pigeons competed in their own show recently, strutting their legs or fluttering curly, lacy feathers. These pigeons aren’t the nuisance flocks that swarm food scraps at outdoor restaurants. They are genetically rich birds, including variations bred to look like turkeys or sound like trumpets, that drew thousands of enthusiasts - including ex-boxer and pigeon lover Mike Tyson - to the National Pigeon Association’s 93rd annual Grand National Pigeon Show. More than 7,800 birds packed the Ontario Convention Center in Southern California last weekend, cooing and strutting in their cages, which sent feathers and feed flying. But the well-behaved show birds wouldn’t let one drop of waste fall on a judge’s shoe as they were examined for build, color and weight.

All these pigeons are man-made. None of them occur in nature like this. All of these breeds have evolved from man’s creative genius.

Bob Nolan, 60-year member of LA Pigeon Club, who raises English trumpeters, known for their acoustic sound of distant trumpets

Showing pigeons is one of the oldest and largest hobbies in the world, apparently! It thrives at a time when pets are becoming a more important part of people’s lives and animals kept as companions range from the traditional to the unique, such as rats and tarantulas. Nearly a thousand different breeds of pigeons exist. Not only can these birds become pampered pets, they can be raised for racing and stunt performances. Racing pigeons can fly for hundreds of miles a day and flap as fast as 80 mph, and performers will unleash death-defying stunts midair.

Racing pigeons are the Ben Johnsons of the world and fancy pigeons are the Naomi Campbells of the world.

Fadiel Hendricks, president of the National Fancy Pigeon Association of South Africa