Thursday, July 30, 2009

Fantastic and Bizarre Breeds of Pigeons

Pigeons are popular domestic and pet birds. Domesticated pigeons are birds having a heavy body and short legs. They have been bred for hundred years already producing some peculiar and unique breeds or fancy pigeon. Here's a list of the most unique-looking breeds of pigeon in the world.


1. Jacobin Pigeon



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Hey, where is your face? Show me your face, come on! The Jacobin is definitely one of the weirdest-looking breed of fancy pigeon. The breed is known for its feathered hood over its head.



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2. Frillback Pigeon



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This unique pigeon called Frillback is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. The breed is known for the frill or curls on the wing shield feathers. The feather curl is also present at the ends of the foot feathers or muffs.


3. Chinese Owl



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Well, it is very obvious that this breed of fancy pigeon called the Chinese Owl is named for its resemblance to an owl. This pigeon is known for its relatively small size and profuse frilled feathers


4. Barb Pigeon



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The peculiar breed of fancy pigeon called Barb is also called the English Barb. This breed was referred to by Shakespeare. It was also referred to with an illustration in Charles Darwin's Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication.


5. Old German Cropper



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The head of the Old German Cropper, a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding, is covered entirely with feather making it hard to locate it. It appears to me like a headless freak.



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6. Ghent Cropper



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The feet of the good-looking Ghent Cropper are covered with feathers called muff. This beautifully colored pigeon is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding.


7. English Trumpeter



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The odd-looking English Trumpeter is one of the most popular breeds in the USA. The English Trumpeter is regarded as one of the most ornamental breeds of fancy pigeon. Combining a tuft, crest and large muffs on their feet, they are challenging to breed. They are bred in a number of colors which are listed under self, splash and baldhead. The name is misleading, as this breed as known today is an American creation.


8. Reversewing Pouter



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Like the Ghent Cropper, the feet of the Reversewing Pouter are covered with large muffs. This pigeon is also known for its eye-catching markings. The breed originated in Saxony and Thuringia in the early 1800's.



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9. Pigmy Pouter



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Compared to common pigeons, the Pigmy Pouter, another breed of fancy pigeon that was developed over many years of selective breeding, it looks like a basketball player playing as a center and towering in the basketball court like Abdul Jabar.


10. Old Dutch Capuchine



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The Old Dutch Capuchine looks similar to fancy-looking Jacobin. They both have feathered hood over their head. It is also a breed of fancy pigeon.


11. Norwich Cropper



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The weird-looking Norwich Cropper is a breed of fancy pigeon that originated from the Netherlands. It is thought to have been developed from a breed called the Oploper.


12. Bokhara Trumpeter



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The almost all-black Bokhara Trumpeter is known for its long muffed (feathered) feet and double crests which completely obscures the bird's eyes. It is one of the most popular breeds of Trumpeter in the US. This trumpeting breed of pigeon is so named because of its unique vocalizations which sound vaguely like low laughter.


13. English Pouter



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The lengthy-looking English Pouter has few muffs on its feet and considered one of the oldest breeds of pigeon in the world. Record shows that it had been bred from the 1730.s.


14. Lahore Pigeon



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The handsome Lahore is known for its impressive size and gentle nature. For a very long time this bird was bred in the present area of Lahore, Pakistan, hence the common name. It was imported into Germany around 1880 and became popular among pigeon enthusiasts at the beginning of the 1960's. These ornamental pigeons were once bred for their meat, but today they are raised for their beautiful plumage and colorful patterns. Their calm and gentle natures also make them delightfully tame pets.


15. Brunner Pouter



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The peculiar-looking Brunner Pouter, a breed of fancy pigeon is one of the most popular blower breeds in the world.


16. Saxon Fairy Swallow



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The Saxon Fairy Swallow will immediately be notice for its exceptionally large muffs. It also has various markings and patterns spot marking.


17. English Carrier



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The English Carrier was developed in England and it is regarded as the largest of the flying pigeon breeds. It was originally used for sending messages. Today, it is strictly a show pigeon, having been supplanted by the Racing Homer years ago. The homing ability of the Carrier has long ago ceased development. It is typically about 18 inches in height, with a long, slender body and thick wattle.


It is important to note that all domesticated pigeons are descendant from the Rock Pigeons, scientifically called Columbia liva.


Hope you enjoyed this. Thank you!



For related articles see


Bizarre Breeds of Chicken


30 Most Colorful and Prettiest Pet Birds in the World




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