Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
- How do homing pigeons find there way home ... ?
- How far will a homing pigeon find it's way home ... ?
- How are homing pigeons raced ... ?
- Where are homing kept ... ?
- Where do I get some homing pigeons ... ?
- How do I find a pigeon club near me ... ?
- Famous Pigeon Fanciers
- Pigeon Federations
- Get a free banner for my web site
- The Courtship Behavior of the Pigeons (video)
To report a Found pigeon please click here.
How do homing pigeons find there way home ... ?
Homing pigeons were used by the Greeks 5000 years ago to carry messages. Through selective breeding of the homing pigeon, their ability to home has greatly improved from the time man first discovered their homing instinct.
Homing pigeons find they're way home with their many different senses. They use sight, sound, smell, and the earths magnetic fields. They use sight to track the position of the sun and look for land marks clues. Pigeons hear sounds (11 octaves below middle C) that the human ear can't detect. Such as the low rumble of wind blowing over a mountain range or the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. They us smell to detect lakes and many other smells of the environment around them. Pigeons can detect the earths magnetic field. They use the magnetic fields much like we do with a compass to navigate their way home.
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How far will a homing pigeon find it's way home
Races are flown from 100 mile to 600 miles. They have been raced as far as 1000 miles but this is uncommon.
How are homing pigeons raced ... ?
Each fancier's loft is measured for it's miles by GPS or by a survey company for the distance to the liberation site. The fanciers takes there birds to the club house to be marked with numbered rubber leg bands or registered with a electronic leg chip band. They are then put into crates and loaded onto a truck or trailer and took to the liberation site. All the birds are released at the same time. When the birds arrive back to there own lofts the electronic leg band is scanned into the electronic clock or the numbered rubber leg band is removed and punched into mechanical clock. After the birds are clocked in the fancier takes his clock back to the club house. His times are read and figured into yards per minute. The fancier with the bird that has the fastest yards per minute wins the race.
In the mid to late 1800s before pigeon clocks, birds were stamp with a number and the name of the club under the wing. When the birds arrived home, the birds had to be taken to the telegraph office. The official would send a telegram off after seeing the the stamped wing with the time. Some pigeon flyers would hire runners to run their birds to the telegraph office. Some runners would even be mobbed by thugs hired to take their bird and liberate it. See A video Click Here!
[Pigeons fly 40 mph to 50 mph and can reach faster speeds with a tail wind.]
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Where are homing pigeons kept ... ?
Pigeons are kept in a loft. A loft can be simple and small or large and fancy. It is up to the fancier. All lofts have some things in common. They must be dry, they will have good ventilation., They will have perches for the birds nest boxes and a landing board.
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Where can I get some homing pigeons ... ?
Usually when you join a local pigeon club most club members will help new members out by giving them some birds. They will answer your questions to help you get started in the fun sport of racing homers. Don't forget you can also post your questions on our coop talk discussion page. You can also check our auctions and our classifieds for pigeons for sale.
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How do I find a pigeon club near me ... ?
Look on our Club Listing page for a pigeon club near you. If you are having trouble locating a club near you please contact us with our feed back page and we will do are best to locate one near you.
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Famous Pigeon Fanciers
George Foreman World Champion boxer, Michael Landon Actor Little house on the prairie, Bonanza, Angle , Mike Tyson World Champion boxer (CLICK HERE To see a video of Mike Tyson and his birds), Queen Elizabeth II British royal family has had a team of homing pigeons for centuries., Scott Baio Actor that played on TV show Happy Days, Terry Bradshaw four time Super bowl Quarter back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Walt Disney Releases white homing pigeon as a part of a daily ceremonies at Disneyland and Disney World.
To find more famous pigeon fanciers search on goggle for " Famous Pigeon Fanciers "
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Pigeon Federations
Every country has federations that are responsible for the organization and administration of the sport. These federations help establish the rules and by laws that are a guideline to the pigeon clubs.
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Contact us with our feed back page.
Mike Tyson and his birds
The Courtship Behavior of the Pigeons
Copyright © 2007 Pigeon World. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 13, 2008
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