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Uzbek pigeons have long won the sympathy of breeders all over the world. Once upon a time, on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, which was considered a kind of oasis, people lived, many of whom were engaged in breeding pigeons. The experience and skills of breeders have been passed on from generation to generation, and today Uzbek pigeons are the envy of many lovers of these birds.
History of Uzbek pigeons
Uzbek pigeons are birds with a unique history. True, not the entire history of their breeding is reflected in documentary form. The information that has survived to this day is the memories of pigeon breeders about the emergence of this or that breed. In addition, many breeders did not keep records of breeding work, but passed on knowledge to their children and grandchildren orally. Therefore, much information is distorted or completely lost.
Fighting pigeons of Uzbekistan have always been popular in Central Asian countries. Despite constant conflicts, the civilian population was actively involved in pigeon breeding, exchanging and purchasing birds.
One of the Tashkent pigeon breeders, Danilov N.N., writes that in the 18th century, pigeons were brought to the outskirts of the city that were very different from the usual breeds with a shortened beak and abundant feathering on the legs. Bird lovers from Samarkand, Tashkent, and Bukhara also showed interest in this species for its unusual flight game. Already in the 19th century, short-billed pigeons were recognized by all breeders. Further, the emir's pigeon breeders played a significant role in improving the species. They described the breed standard and carried out selection work in terms of flight and performance properties. After the Uzbek pigeon came to Russia (Krasnodar Territory), it was mated with tumblers and gulls, resulting in the appearance of the shaggy-legged short-billed pigeon “Armavirsky”.
The work of Tashkent pigeon breeders to improve the breed of double-foreheaded pigeon in two directions is interesting: fighting and decorative. As a result, the quality and exterior characteristics were improved, and the Tashkent double-crested flying game pigeon was obtained. And to obtain a decorative breed, crossings were carried out with other species and in the first generation mestizos were obtained. Next, an exhibition breed was obtained with an improved appearance: the shape and decoration of the head, and unusual feathering of the legs.
The first standards for Uzbek ornamental and slaughter breeds were adopted in 1969 in Tashkent. At the same time, a club of pigeon fanciers was organized. The approval of standards was necessary for international recognition of new Uzbek species. The main points of the previously described standards have not changed today.
In 1978, Tashkent breeders decided to call all two-toothed, foretoothed, nose-toothed, and forelock pigeons Uzbek shaggy-legged pigeons. A common feature for them is the presence of rich feathering on the legs (shags, spurs) and the common coloring of the body and wings.
Features of pigeons of Uzbekistan
Individuals are divided according to standards accepted throughout the world. They are divided into flying and exhibition, according to their appearance and belonging to a particular breed.
The main feature for which Uzbek pigeons are so loved all over the world is their cheerful, playful disposition. Almost all types of pigeons in Uzbekistan belong to the group of “fighting” pigeons due to the sounds they make during flight. Not all birds are capable of taking off so beautifully, tumbling in the air, and flapping their wings.
Fans are attracted by the unusual plumage on the birds' legs as a sign of noble origin and the variety of forelocks on the head. The color of Uzbek pigeons is also diverse. It is divided into colored, variegated and belted. The most common plumage colors are black, red, gray, and brown. There are also purple and yellow.
Breed standards:
- body about 30-38 cm;
- the color corresponds to a specific subspecies;
- head with a steep frontal part;
- presence of a forelock;
- beak short, thickened;
- feathering on the feet is at least 10 cm.
Uzbek pigeons are shown in the photo.
Uzbek pigeons are very demanding in terms of living conditions. Today there are very few of their representatives left. More often they are kept in enclosures, which is why the birds lose their flight qualities.
Fighting Uzbek pigeons
In addition to the unusual sound accompaniment of flight, birds are able to soar during flight for a long time, while being quite high.The plumage has about 10,000 individual feathers. Each has its own specific function: some serve as decoration for the bird, others allow it to make various movements during flight, others make the very sounds in the air that are why birds are called fighting birds.
The special arrangement of the feathers allows them to land on the ground at great speed. Ornithologists have estimated that birds can turn over up to 20 times before landing.
The exterior may vary depending on the subspecies. For example, birds may have forelocks or be completely absent, and the length of the neck, beak, and body weight may differ.
The absolute leader among pigeons of this species is the Uzbek Tasman. They can often be found at various events, as they are easy to train and look very impressive during performances.
The breed is not agricultural. Its purpose is to delight wildlife lovers and pigeon fanciers. Indeed, behind the grace and beauty of these birds lies a great creative thought.
Decorative Uzbek pigeons
Trying to give the birds as much grace and beauty as possible, Uzbek breeders carried out many events before the world saw the updated breed. All the ancestors of pigeons, seagulls, and tumblers participated in the breeding of decorative Uzbek pigeons.
Decorative Uzbek pigeons are an exhibition breed. Participants are scored on a 100-point system according to established conformation standards.
Today, most Uzbek pigeons have a snow-white beak. However, some breeds have beaks of darker shades. It has a slight deflection and low rise. Sometimes it must match the color of the plumage. The cere fits tightly to the head.
The size of the individual is average.Representatives of any breed can be called compact and slender. The body has a slightly elongated shape. The tail and back form a single line. The feathers lie tightly against the delicate, white skin.
The head is round in shape, the eyes are expressive. They have different shades of the iris: gray, black, pearlescent. The skin on the eyelids is white.
On the legs there are so-called cosmas - long feathers that are a distinctive feature of Uzbek pigeons. The spurs must be combined with the cosmos.
The tail has 12 long feathers. There may be spots and stripes on the wings and tail.
Fight of Uzbek pigeons
Uzbek pigeons tolerate high temperatures well and can fly high into the sky under the sun.
Their flight is beautiful and unique. Birds are capable of performing various somersaults in flight, while making sounds reminiscent of clicking. This sound can be heard from afar. They gain a height of up to 20 meters, make a large circle, hover in the air, do a somersault and again rise vertically a couple of meters.
Some species, when rising, can turn over in a corkscrew around their axis. This type of fighting pigeons is called screw pigeons. It happens that during somersaults they lose control and die, crashing into roofs or trees. Experienced breeders sometimes trim the tail feathers of pigeons, this helps avoid tragedy.
The hovering of fighting rocks in flight looks very beautiful. During this, the birds slowly turn and flap their wings loudly.
Another type of flight of Uzbek pigeons is ribbon. The bird somersaults without vertical takeoff or hovering. But many breeders cull pigeons that fly this way.
Birds with an incomplete 360° turn or, conversely, with a large turn, as well as individuals that miss the clicking of their wings when turning, or flapping their wings but without turning, are subject to culling.
Varieties of Uzbek pigeons
The exact number of subspecies bred by breeders is unknown. This is due to the fact that amateurs, competing with each other, obtain new breeds, but do not document the process.
Previously, starting from the 15th century, breeding was available only to rich people. They regularly organized competitions, where the pigeon that was able to stay in the air longer than the others always won. Thus, both then and now, different breeds are valued for their flying qualities, aerial tricks, wing flapping and flight duration. Among the most famous species that have earned sympathy all over the world are forelocks, forelocks, two-forelocks, shaggy-legged, short-beaked.
In addition, they are divided by color and patterns on the plumage.
Double-crested Uzbek pigeons
They are the most unique breed of Uzbekistan. It was developed at the beginning of the twentieth century. The ancestors of the breed are some Persian species, Turkish and Chinese birds. They were crossed with local short-billeds. The standards for Uzbek double-crested pigeons were adopted in 1990 and supplemented with flight characteristics in 2002.
Appearance of two-toothed individuals:
- the head is wide, the frontal part is round, the cere is swollen;
- the beak is miniature, wide, with a slight deflection, white;
- the color of the iris depends on the color of the bird;
- front forelock in the form of a rose, may be curly;
- the rear forelock looks like a crown, goes into the mane;
- the shaggy hairs on the legs grow in 3 layers, covering the toes and metatarsals, their length is about 10 cm;
- the spurs merge with the feathering on the legs and pass into the undertail.
The color of birds of this breed is white or multi-colored, characterized by uniform color. The flight of two-foreheads is assessed by duration, height, volume of combat, and tricks. They usually fly at medium altitude, stay in the sky for several hours, and emerge into a column upon takeoff.
You can see the flight of the double forelocked pigeons of Uzbekistan on video.
Unique individuals of Uzbek pigeons from the nursery of S.A. Gitalova are presented here.
Individuals that have retained their flight qualities and have not lost their beautiful appearance are especially valued.
Curly Uzbek pigeons
Chubby Uzbek pigeons have another name - chelkari. Their second name comes from the forelock on the back of the head, the length of which reaches 2 cm.
Often before exhibitions this forelock is combed to show that it belongs to the breed. Because of this, the forelocks have a somewhat daring appearance.
For show-class pigeons there are more stringent requirements for the appearance and shape of the crest on the back of the head. For flight and game birds, the requirements for the exterior are less stringent, but it still has a certain influence in competitions.
Nose-toothed Uzbek pigeons
Nosopals are characterized by the presence of a forelock in the area of the beak and a cere. The short beak is hidden behind abundant plumage. It happens that the beak and eyes are completely closed. According to breed standards, the beak should protrude slightly from the feathers.
Long-toed pigeons are the most expensive representatives of all pigeons in Uzbekistan.
Chestless Uzbek pigeons
This species is characterized by the absence of a forelock. The feathers on the head and body of representatives of this breed are smooth, without rise.
A slight deviation from the standard, that is, the presence of 2-3 raised feathers on the back of the head, is a sign that the bird is not purebred. These are subject to discarding.
They have a small head and shortened neck, long shaggy legs on their legs, like other pigeons of Uzbekistan.
Short-billed Uzbek pigeons
This species has a beak that must not be larger than 8 mm, otherwise they will no longer be considered short-billed. Pigeon breeders have a special grid of compliance sizes, where the standards are indicated. It determines whether the bird belongs to a given species. Often the beak of this species resembles that of a parrot.
This breed is considered more of a decorative species. The short-billed ones with two regularly shaped forelocks are especially prized.
Shaggy-legged Uzbek pigeons
Uzbek shaggy-legged breeds are a group of breeds that are part of the slaughter breeds. Representatives differ from each other in the color of their plumage.
Breed standards:
- the body is slightly elongated, medium in size;
- the plumage is dense;
- the head is round in shape, can be decorated with a forelock, beard, and mustache;
- the eyes are round, gray, black or silver depending on the color of the plumage;
- beak short, thick;
- breast flat;
- the back is straight, in line with the tail;
- wings of medium length, close above the tail;
- in the tail there are 12 tail feathers;
- limbs are short, covered with feathers, the length of which is about 16 cm;
- spurs (hawk feathers) up to 6 cm long, merge with the plumage of the legs;
- flying high.
The most famous breeds from the group of shaggy-legged Uzbek pigeons are: chinny, chelkari, mallya, awlaki, ruyan, ud, gulbadam, white pigeons.
Names of pigeons by color
Uzbek pigeons have a very diverse range of colors: white, red, marbled, ash, brown. Each has a name in Uzbek.For example, a beige color is a mallee, a yellow color is a novatt, a blue color is an ud, and a white with a red breast is a trap.
Pigeons are bred of the same color, but after the first or second molt, the individuals acquire the color characteristic of a particular breed.
Uzbek pigeons
Chinns can play in the sky, “pull the pillar.” The feather color is white. Yellow and red feathers may be on the head and neck. Sometimes these mottled feathers appear on the breast. They have a short body, low, well-feathered legs. The head is small, there is a wide forelock at the back of the head, and a pair of slightly curved feathers above the beak. The eyes are pearlescent.
There are variations within the breed. For example, Uzbek pigeons Kapkan-Chinny, Novatt-Chinn, Kyzyl-Chinn, Karapat-Chinn. They all differ in plumage color. Because of their unusual colors, they are sometimes called Uzbek pigeons gulbadam (almond flower).
Uzbek Mallya pigeons
Mallya - pigeons with black stripes on the wing. Bred by crossing Saus and Biys of different colors. They are decorative breeds of pigeons. Their peculiarity is to change the color of their feathers depending on the time of year. They are lighter in summer and darker in winter.
The mullet has a slender body and a wide chest. Legs with abundant shaggy hair. The length of the beak is 4-5 cm. They are divided into okmallya (beige color), kyzyl-mallya (chocolate with a hint of cherry), and cara-mallya (chestnut color).
Uzbek awlaki pigeons
Awlakis are white birds. From birth they do not change their color. The wings have a variety of colors.
Types of awlak: savzy-avlak (white with a belt on the sides), kyzyl-avlak (white, red feathers on the wings), kuran-avlak (white with gray-red feathers).
Uzbek Termez pigeons
Origin – the city of Termez (Uzbekistan). Hence the name of the bird. Medium size, thick build. The color is charcoal black, there are red and mallee.Occasionally there are forelocks. Shags from 5 to 10 cm. They can fly for up to 2 hours with very strong game.
Uzbek Ruyan pigeons
There are two varieties: directly ruyan (fiery red color of plumage), kara-ruyan (brown-red, black tints on the feathers).
Breeding Uzbek pigeons
Breeding is an ancient and noble pursuit. For some breeders this is a business, for others it is a matter of passion.
There are no special requirements for breeding. However, it is necessary to provide proper care, feeding, accommodation, and establish reproductive function in order to subsequently obtain full-fledged offspring.
You should start by arranging a dovecote. It should be warm, draft-free, and well protected from cats. You also need space and light.
Cleaning is required every day and disinfection is required once a month. There should be only clean water in drinking bowls and baths.
The diet should contain barley (40%), millet (30%), millet (10%), greens (10%). Feeding is required 2 times a day in winter, 3 times in summer.
The reproduction process occurs in the spring. The female lays a clutch of 2 eggs at intervals of 24 hours. Hatching lasts about a month. The maternal instinct is well developed in pigeons, so the breeder just needs to watch the female every day.
Finely chopped grain mixtures are promptly introduced into the diet of hatched chicks. They also carry out prophylactic administration of antibiotics, vaccinations and treatment for parasites.
Conclusion
Uzbek pigeons are one of the most beautiful and elegant captive birds in the world. Their grace, unusual and varied colors attract the attention of ornithologists, pigeon fanciers and simply amateurs.All breeds are distinguished by their daring character and unusual energy in flight. Any specialist, even from afar, can distinguish them from other species.
