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Among the many breeds of pigeons, high-flying ones have been bred in Russia since ancient times. They are usually classified as a group of so-called racing pigeons. High-flying pigeons fully justify their name, performing aerobatic maneuvers at such a height that it is often difficult to even see them clearly from the ground.
Features of high-flying breeds of pigeons
These birds stand out among all breeds of pigeons, first of all, for their flight qualities. They not only fly to the highest altitude, but can also stay in the air for a long time. It is these two indicators that have been used to carefully select high-flying pigeons since ancient times. In 1963, English pigeons set an absolute world record, which has not been broken to this day. They made a journey lasting 20 hours and 10 minutes, without ever 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 fly to great heights and stay in the air for a long time, these birds are distinguished by a unique body structure, the structure of which seems to comply with all the requirements of flight. The body of high-flying pigeons of any breed is usually small in size and 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, fitting tightly to the body. High-flying pigeons are distinguished by good orientation in space, undemanding conditions of keeping, quick adaptation to any regime, lightness and simplicity in feeding.
Flight characteristics
One of the most important criteria by which high-flying pigeons are assessed at international competitions is their flight altitude. Although this characteristic is somewhat conditional, nevertheless, it is customary to distinguish the following standards:
- from 80 to 120 m – considered the height of the bell tower;
- from 200 to 400 m - the pigeon is the size of a lark;
- from 400 to 600 m – more close to the size of a sparrow;
- from 600 to 800 m – the size of the butterfly;
- from 800 to 1000 m - the dove just resembles a small dot;
- from 1500-1700 m the birds are hidden from view and can only be seen using special optical instruments.
There are also basic flight styles of high-flying pigeons:
- The circling style causes birds to rise to a certain height in smooth circles and then stay there for a long time.
- Using a standing style, pigeons gain altitude almost strictly vertically, without circles. At a certain level, the birds simply “hang” in the air and hover with virtually 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 typically used in a sustained flight style:
- lark – pigeons hold their wings strictly perpendicular to their body and flutter them in the same way as birds of the same name do. At the same time, they unfold their tail widely and periodically hover, stopping all movements.
- butterfly – the type of flight is similar to the previous one, but the wings are turned 30° forward relative to the body.
- end – the pigeon unfolds its tail as much as possible in the air and seems to sit on it. In this case, the wings are thrown back over the head and are parallel, and the chest is raised up. At a height, the birds freeze, only fluttering their edge wings.
- sickle – the type of flight is similar to the end flight, but the wings are bent like a sickle.
- oared - the rarest type, when the pigeon gains altitude using alternating wing flaps.
Breeds of high-flying pigeons with photos and names
There is quite a wide variety of breeds of high-flying pigeons. They differ in both external data and flight characteristics. The names of most breeds come from the localities or countries where they were bred. Some of them are of predominantly local importance, 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 the birds came in second place.The main thing that pigeon breeders focused on was the flying qualities of the birds. But recently, when developing new breeds, more and more attention has been paid to the external decorative properties of pigeons. At the same time, flight performance itself deteriorated. The following is a description of the breeds of high-flying pigeons with photographs.
Chistopolsky
This breed is considered one of the best and most famous among high-flying pigeons in Russia. It was bred in the city of Chistopol, which is located on the banks of the Kama River at the end of the 19th century.
The flight of Chistopol high-flying pigeons is characterized by a rapid climb in height in a spiral. Birds often take advantage of rising air currents, economically distributing their forces and moving their wings little noticeably. The movements themselves, therefore, appear as if in slow motion. They often fly to a height where it is almost impossible to see them without special instruments. The flight lasts on average about 4-6 hours, but a trained bird can stay in the air much longer, up to 10 hours. They usually descend also slowly, flapping their wings intensively.
Since external qualities were clearly relegated to the background when breeding this breed, the color of pigeons can be very diverse. But among them there are often so-called hryvnias. This color suggests the presence of a darker-colored “mane” on the back of the head. Sometimes a “cockade” can also be marked on the forehead, which has exactly the same shade as the “mane”.
The birds have dark eyes, they usually fly in small flocks, but only the strongest ones reach the maximum height and flight duration.
Perm
Also a widespread breed of high-flying pigeons, it was bred in the last century in the Urals.Permian pigeons have become especially popular in Siberia, the Urals and Kazakhstan.
Pigeons have a fairly large body (reaching 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, and their wings are large and powerful.
The colors can be varied: black, gray, brown or white. Pigeons of this breed can survive in the air for no more than 6 hours. Their flight style is not particularly unique; they gain altitude without circles, turns or other sophisticated configurations.
Nikolaevskie
One of the most popular breeds of high-flying pigeons due to the peculiarities of its flight. Nikolaev pigeons were officially registered in Ukraine in the city of Nikolaev in 1910. The birds have a strong, dry constitution and are of 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 flow. They use almost all types of laceless flight, but the most interesting are the butt and sickle flight. Strong winds have a great influence on the duration and beauty of the flight. In this case, in 3-4 minutes the pigeon is able to gain a height of up to 600-700 m and go further and further upward.
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 may begin to fly in circles, get used to a different flight style and have to be culled.
Due to their unique flight style, 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 are not particularly distinguished by 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 in terms of living conditions, and also have excellent spatial orientation and are able to remember the way home many hundreds of kilometers away.
Shadrinsky
The Shadrinsk breed of pigeons has been known for quite 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 maintained throughout the years only by amateur pigeon breeders.
These are pigeons with very small beaks, unfeathered legs and very beautiful plumage in the most varied colors imaginable. The main advantages of the Shadrinsky breed of high-flying pigeons are their amazing endurance and unpretentiousness - the birds easily stay in the air for 6-8 hours or more, gain great heights and cover significant distances. At the same time, they love to fly in large flocks, therefore, thanks to the varied colors of their plumage, they look very beautiful and are highly valued by fans of high-flying pigeons.Shadrinsky birds have a strong craving for their native nest; they always return home from any place.
Budapest
High-flying pigeons of this breed are relatively small in size and have 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 spots. The neck is located vertically in relation to the body. Powerful and strong wings almost reach the tail in length. Legs are short. The plumage fits tightly to the body. It can be of different colors, mostly white with various decorations: on the neck, on the back, on the belt, on the wings.
The main feature of 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 rejected. And such a flock of flights 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 20th century. These are powerful and strong birds of quite large size, reaching 37 cm in length. The head is small, oval in shape, the beak is narrow, small, and gray in color. The eyes are usually light, white or yellow. The legs are small and have no feathering. The tail is narrow and small. Some birds have a forelock on their heads. The plumage is of a hard type and can be white, black or various combinations of motley. In total, about 5 varieties of Sverdlovsk pigeons are known, differing in color.
Flights are carried out at different altitudes.They prefer to fly in flocks and then separate, with each bird choosing its own flight direction. 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 or aerobatic maneuvers were observed. Pigeons of this breed are common among lovers of the Volga region, Kazakhstan, and Siberia.
Sverdlovsk pigeons have a good homecoming instinct. They are excellent at navigating the terrain and almost never get lost.
Kazan
The Kazan breed is valuable mainly for the local population. It was bred on the territory of Tatarstan. The decorative qualities of the breed are maintained. In particular, the patterns on the wings should be as symmetrical as possible.
The flight qualities of pigeons are rather weakly expressed. But the birds look quite impressive.
Odessa
The Odessa breed includes rather large pigeons, which reach a length of 43 cm. A special feature is the flattened shape of the head, which slightly resembles a snake in its appearance. The chest and neck are moderately developed. However, Odessa pigeons are capable of showing relatively good flight performance. The plumage is velvety, and can be gray, dark cherry, gray or black.
Izhevsk
Izhevsk high-flying pigeons have common roots with the Permian breed, and therefore resemble them in many features. These strong and sturdy birds with dense, close-fitting plumage can soar in circles to a considerable 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 summer qualities. The body is standard, the eyes are yellow, the plumage is motley, of all the most common shades. They are perfectly oriented and find their way to home, even after many months of absence. They can spend more than 7 hours in a row in the air, flying at medium altitude. But sometimes they go up to places where they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Bugulma
There are many discrepancies regarding 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 characteristics of the breed have not been fully developed. Many people call Bugulmins grivuns - 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 flight qualities and excellent terrain orientation. They always return home from any point, even hundreds of kilometers from their native nest.
They fly in a flock, which at high altitude breaks up into individual individuals. Depending on their strength and endurance, some fly further upward, 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 pigeons were brought to Serbia by the Turks, which is also quite similar to the truth. Birds are distinguished by their small, compact body size with a powerful short neck that extends into the chest and dense, long wings. As a rule, there is a beautiful crest on the head. The color of the plumage varies from white to blue-black.Individual birds can stay in the air for up to 10 hours, although the average flight duration is about 5-6 hours.
Recommendations for keeping high-flying pigeons
High-flying pigeons do not have any special care requirements. But, of course, the main points should be:
- properly equipped housing;
- balanced and sufficient nutrition.
The height of the dovecote should not be less than 2 meters and there should be about 0.5 square meters per pair of birds. m. floor area. On the north side, the room should be well insulated, and the overhang should be either on the south or east side.
As for nutrition, high-flying pigeons need to be fed 1-2 times a day. The weekly feed requirement 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 require daily training and training.
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 flight qualities of birds must be regularly maintained, including periodic culling of unsuitable individuals.
