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Among the many breeds of pigeons, it was high-flying pigeons that were bred in Our Country from ancient times. They are usually referred to the group of so-called racing pigeons. High-flying pigeons live up to their name, performing aerobatics at such a height that it is often difficult to even see them well from the ground.
Features of high-flying breeds of pigeons
These birds among all breeds of pigeons are distinguished, first of all, by their flying qualities. They not only take off to the highest altitude, but can also stay in the air for a long time. It is for these two indicators that a careful selection of high-flying pigeons has been carried out since ancient times. In 1963, English pigeons set an absolute world record, which has not been overcome to this day. They made a journey of 20 hours and 10 minutes, never once landing anywhere or resting during this time. Unfortunately, today the average flight duration of high-flying pigeons is only 3-6 hours. Although some of them are able to stay in the air for up to 10-12 hours.
In order to take off to great heights and stay in the air for a long time, these birds are distinguished by a unique body structure, the device of which, as it were, obeys all the requirements of flight. The body of high-flying pigeons of any breed is usually small in size, has a streamlined shape, as can be clearly seen in the photo.
The head is small, the chest is well developed, and the wings are long and compact, close to the body. High-flying pigeons are distinguished by good orientation in space, undemanding to the conditions of detention, quick adaptation to any mode, lightness and ease of eating.
Flight characteristics
One of the most important criteria by which high-flying pigeons are judged in international competitions is their flight height. Although this characteristic is somewhat arbitrary, nevertheless, it is customary to distinguish between the following standards:
- from 80 to 120 m – is considered the height of the bell tower;
- from 200 to 400 m – the pigeon has the size of a lark;
- from 400 to 600 m – more close to the size of a sparrow;
- from 600 to 800 m – butterfly size;
- from 800 to 1000 m – the dove resembles just a small dot;
- from 1500-1700 m the birds disappear from view and can be seen only by using special optical instruments.
There are also the main flight styles of high-flying pigeons:
- The circling style causes the birds to rise to a certain height in smooth circles and then stay there for a long time.
- Using a persistent style, pigeons gain height almost strictly vertically, without circles. At a certain level, the birds simply “hang” in the air and hover with little or no movement at one point.
Both of these methods allow you to increase the duration of the flight without much physical exertion.
There are also several types of flight that are characteristic of individual birds and characterize the movements of the wings. They are commonly used in persistent flying style:
- skylark – pigeons hold their wings strictly perpendicular to the body and flutter them in the same way as the birds of the same name do. At the same time, the tail is widely deployed and periodically hangs, stopping all movements.
- butterfly – the type of flight is similar to the previous one, but the wings are deployed 30 ° forward in relation to the body.
- end – a dove in the air turns its tail as much as possible and, as it were, sits on it. At the same time, the wings are thrown back above the head and are parallel, and the chest is raised up. At the height of the birds freeze, only fluttering edge wings.
- sickly – the type of flight is similar to the end, but the wings are bent like a sickle.
- oared – the rarest type, when a pigeon climbs with the help of alternating wing beats.
Breeds of high-flying pigeons with photos and names
There is a fairly large variety of breeds of high-flying pigeons. They have differences both in external data and in flight characteristics. The names of most breeds come from the localities or countries where they were bred. Some of them are mainly of local importance, while others are common in many regions.
Initially, there were practically no special requirements for the appearance of high-flying pigeons, and the decorative qualities of birds were in second place. The main thing that the attention of pigeon breeders focused on was the flying qualities of birds. But recently, when breeding new breeds, more and more attention is paid to the external decorative properties of pigeons. At the same time, the flight quality itself deteriorated. The following is a description of the breeds of high-flying pigeons with photographs.
Chistopolskiye
This breed is considered one of the best and most famous high-flying pigeons in Our Country. It was bred in the city of Chistopol, which is located on the banks of the Kama River at the end of the XNUMXth century.
The flight of Chistopol high-flying pigeons is distinguished by a rapid climb in a spiral. Birds often use ascending currents of air, while economically distributing their forces and moving their wings inconspicuously. The movements themselves, therefore, are obtained as if in slow motion. They often take off to a height where they are almost impossible to see without special instruments. The flight lasts on average about 4-6 hours, but a trained bird is able to stay in the air much longer, up to 10 hours. They usually also descend slowly, intensively flapping their wings.
Since the external qualities during the derivation of this breed were clearly relegated to the background, the color of the pigeons can be the most diverse. But among them, the so-called hryvnias are often found. This color suggests the presence of a darker-colored “mane” on the back of the head. Sometimes a “cockade” can also be noted on the forehead, which has exactly the same shade as the “mane”.
The eyes of the birds are dark, they usually fly in small flocks, but only the strongest reach the maximum height and flight duration.
Perm
Also a widespread breed of high-flying pigeons, was bred in the last century in the Urals. Perm pigeons have gained especially great popularity in Siberia, the Urals and Kazakhstan.
Pigeons have a fairly large body (up to 35 cm in length), with a small round, low-set head. The eyes are yellow, the neat beak is of medium size. Birds have a well-developed chest, wings are large and powerful.
Colors can be varied: black, gray, brown or white. In the air, pigeons of this breed are able to hold out for no more than 6 hours. The style of their flight is not particularly original, they gain height without circles, turns and other exquisite configurations.
Nikolaev
One of the most popular breeds of high-flying pigeons due to the characteristics of its flight. Nikolaev pigeons were officially registered in Ukraine in the city of Nikolaev in 1910. Birds have a strong, dry constitution, medium size. The eyes are brown, the tail is wide.
Birds are able to rapidly gain height in a straight line in a column of air current. They use almost all types of laceless flight, but the most interesting are the end and crescent. The duration and beauty of the flight is greatly influenced by strong winds. In this case, in 3-4 minutes, the pigeon is able to gain altitude up to 600-700 m and go further and further up.
Therefore, it does not make much sense to train and generally breed high-flying pigeons of the Nikolaev breed in regions where there are no constant strong winds. Pigeons can start flying in circles, get used to a different manner of flight and have to be culled.
Due to their unique manner of flight, the birds of the Nikolaev breed have many original folk names: cloud cutters, butterflies, larks and pillar pigeons.
The plumage can be black, yellow, white, cherry, red.
Hungarian
Hungarian high-flying pigeons do not have particularly outstanding flight qualities, since they have a strong and massive body and a fairly decent weight – up to 1 kg. But these birds have well-developed “parental” feelings, so they are often used as “nurses”. In addition, they are very undemanding to the conditions of detention, and also have excellent orientation in space and are able to remember the way home many hundreds of kilometers away.
Shadrinskiye
The Shadrinskaya breed of pigeons has been known for a long time and enjoys well-deserved popularity. But it was officially registered only in 2017. This breed was bred in the Siberian town of Shadrinsk and was supported all the years only by amateur pigeon breeders.
These are pigeons with very small beaks, bare legs, and very beautiful plumage in the most varied colors imaginable. The main advantages of the Shadrinskaya breed of high-flying pigeons are amazing endurance and unpretentiousness – the birds easily stay in the air for 6-8 hours or more, gain great height and overcome considerable distances. At the same time, they like to fly in large flocks, therefore, due to the motley color of the plumage, they look very beautiful and are highly valued by lovers of high-flying pigeons. Shadrinsk birds have a strong craving for their native nest, they always return home from anywhere.
Budapest
High-flying pigeons of this breed have a relatively small size and an active, lively character. The head is smooth, the beak is medium, slightly curved at the end. The eyes have a bluish tint with pink patches. The neck is located vertically in relation to the body. Powerful and strong wings in length almost reach the tail. Legs are short. The plumage is close to the body. It can be of different colors, mostly white with a variety of decorations: on the neck, on the back, on the belt, on the wings.
The main feature of the birds of this breed is that they fly only in flocks. Moreover, the flocks are so tightly organized that not a single bird in flight is able to break away from its fellows. And if this happens, then such pigeons are usually culled. And such a flocking journey in the air can last up to 5 hours or more at an altitude that often goes beyond all visibility limits. The flight style is predominantly circling.
Sverdlovsk
Sverdlovsk high-flying pigeons were bred in the Urals at the beginning of the 37th century. These are powerful and strong birds of rather large sizes, reaching a length of 5 cm. The head is small and oval in shape, the beak is narrow, small, and gray in color. The eyes are usually light, white or yellow. The legs are small, there is no plumage on them. The tail is narrow and small. On the head of some birds there is a forelock. The plumage is of a rigid type, it can be white, black or various combinations of variegated. In total, about XNUMX varieties of Sverdlovsk pigeons are known, differing in color.
Flights are carried out at different heights. They prefer to take off in flocks, and then separate, and each bird chooses its own direction of flight. They rarely stay in the air for more than 4-6 hours, but if desired, they can fly all night. During takeoffs, no special turns and aerobatics were observed behind them. Pigeons of this breed are common among lovers of the Volga region, Kazakhstan, Siberia.
Sverdlovsk pigeons have a good instinct for returning home. Superbly navigate the terrain and almost never get lost.
Kazansky
The Kazan breed has a value mainly for the local population. It was bred on the territory of Tatarstan. The decorative qualities of the breed are supported. In particular, the patterns on the wings should be as symmetrical as possible.
The flying qualities of pigeons are rather weakly expressed. But the birds look quite spectacular.
Odessa
The Odessa breed includes rather large pigeons, which reach a length of 43 cm. A feature is the flattened shape of the head, which in its appearance slightly resembles a snake. The chest and neck are moderately developed. However, Odessa pigeons are able to show relatively good flight performance. The plumage is velvety, it can be gray, dark cherry, gray or black.
Izhevsk
Izhevsk high-flying pigeons have common roots with the Perm breed, therefore, in many ways they resemble them. These strong and sturdy birds with dense adjacent plumage can soar in circles to a decent height and stay in the air for up to 6-8 hours. The plumage is dominated by red, yellow and black shades.
Mordovian
One of the fairly young breeds of high-flying pigeons, which was bred within the Republic of Mordovia. Birds have both attractive external properties and quite good qualities of summer. The physique is standard, the eyes are yellow, the plumage is variegated, of all the most common shades. They are perfectly oriented and find their way to the house, even after a months-long absence. In the air they can spend more than 7 hours in a row, flying at an average height. But sometimes they go up to where they cannot be seen with the eye.
Bugulma
There are many discrepancies in this breed of high-flying pigeons. Many consider it only a variety of the Chistopol breed. Others, on the contrary, recognize her right to individuality. The signs of the breed are not fully developed. Many people call the Bugulma hryvnias – pigeons with a colored “mane” on the back of the head and neck. Others, on the contrary, call them birds with an exclusively white color. But everyone unanimously recognizes their excellent flying qualities and excellent orientation on the ground. They always return home from anywhere, even hundreds of kilometers from their native nest.
They fly in a flock, which at high altitude breaks into separate individuals. Depending on the strength and endurance, some fly further up, while others return back to the dovecote.
Serbian
The breed got its name because the birds were bred in the capital of Serbia – Belgrade. On the other hand, some sources claim that the Turks brought pigeons to Serbia, which is also quite true. Birds are distinguished by small compact body sizes with a powerful short neck, passing into the chest and dense long wings. On the head, as a rule, there is a beautiful crest. Plumage color varies from white to blue-black. In the air, individual birds can stay up to 10 hours, although the average duration of flights is about 5-6 hours.
Recommendations for keeping high-flying pigeons
High-flying pigeons do not have special requirements for care. But of course the main points should be:
- properly equipped housing;
- balanced and adequate nutrition.
The height of the dovecote should not be less than 2 meters and one pair of birds should account for about 0,5 square meters. m floor area. On the north side, the room should be well insulated, and the flight should be located either on the south or east side.
As for nutrition, it is necessary to feed high-flying pigeons 1-2 times a day. The weekly feed rate per bird is about 400 g. In winter and during molting, the amount of food and its variety should be increased.
From 1,5 months of age, high-flying pigeons need daily training and education.
Conclusion
High-flying pigeons are kept by amateur pigeon breeders from various regions and countries of the world both for their own pleasure and for participation in exhibitions. Although the flying qualities of birds must be regularly maintained, including the periodic culling of unsuitable individuals.