So you want to know what’s the racing pigeons sport about? Let’s try a really short description to help you understand the basics. If you want to join our crazy game, there are many learning resources available.
The RACING PIGEONS SPORT in a few words:
1. You must have a team of birds (10 to 50 or more). You train the birds, offer them a good loft and good food.
2. The races are usually during the weekends. All the fanciers from an area join a pigeon club, and before the race, all the teams of birds are entered in the transporting car of the club.
3. The car transports the pigeons to the releasing location (from 100 to 1000+ kilometers away) and sets them free in the morning.
4. The pigeons will always fly home as fast as they can (they don’t know they race, but their instinct always makes them fly back to the place where they were born and where their nest is, no matter where you set them free). Depending on the quality of the birds and the knowledge of the fancier that manages them, the initial flock of hundreds or thousands of birds liberated will split in smaller flocks, the fastest, strongest and smartest of the birds being ahead the others. Depending on the distance, the race can last several hours (there are short distance, middle distance and long distance races). The marathon races usually take two days.
5. When a pigeon gets home, an electronic clocking device will register it and when the race is over, the race sheet is calculated based on the velocity of each bird. The prizes you can win depend on the country or area, they can be cars, money, … or just fame and soul satisfaction.
6. This is more fun than Counter Strike, FIFA Manager or any other computer game. You are the manager of a team in REAL LIFE, and the team is made of tiny birds that are powerful, intelligent and fast. Join the fun!
See what it is all about, in the movies below.
A final note for the pigeon fanciers: after visiting hundreds of websites dedicated to the racing pigeons sport, I discovered that 99% of them do not have an area that promote the hobby, explaining people outside the hobby what this is all about and how fascinating it can be. So, this website won’t focus on pedigrees, pigeon auctions and race results. Instead, it will try to show the pure beauty and adrenaline from this hobby.