# White pigeon or albino?



## carolewalsh

I thought this pigeon was an albino because of the pink eyes and toenails(?). But I was told that because the pupil of the eye was black, that it is not an albino. Can anyone verify for me whether it really is a white pigeon or an albino?
Thanks,
Carole


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## rackerman

Not positive but, I would say its not albino. I believe the eyes would also be pink.


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## carolewalsh

The eye color is pink. It's the center of the eye (the pupil) that is black.


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## spirit wings

if he was albino he would have no pigment, the eyes would be pink, I have 40 birds that look just like that, they are just white homers.. here is a pic of a true albino... it is a crow, but shows how a pigeon may look if it were a true albino.
http://media.canada.com/2de3e3f6-b472-4835-9142-3ead50913788/SUN0618 Albino.jpg


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## carolewalsh

Thanks Spirit Wings. Your photo of the albino crow really cleared it up for me.


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## cotdt

looks like a recessive white and a good one, but why is there no leg band?


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## chezd3

http://www.rescuereport.org/2009/05/blanco.html

Above is a link of an Albino pigoen called Blanco. So your pigeon is not albino, but very beautiful


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## MaryOfExeter

cotdt said:


> looks like a recessive white and a good one, but why is there no leg band?


Many, many people don't band their birds. I didn't start banding any of mine until 08, but I'd already had them for about 4 or 5 years before that.


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## carolewalsh

*White pigeon and turtle dove*

The white pigeon was frequenting my birdfeeder for a couple of years (that was about 7 years ago), and then she stopped coming around. She didn't have a leg band and was not too tame. She would let me get kind of close to her, but not too close. Funny... she befriended a lone turtle dove who was coming around at that time too. The turtle dove must have been an escapee (I'm in South Florida were the escapees can do pretty well in the wild). But the turtle dove wasn't doing so well. The bigger doves (the ring necked and white wing) wouldn't let him near the feeders, and he looked pretty bedraggled. So I would chase the bigger doves away and guard him while he ate (and the white pigeon would eat with him). He was pretty tame. He'd land on my shoulder while I was on the way to fill the feeder. And after a couple of months of good eating, he looked much better. Here's a photo of the two of them at the bird feeder. The pigeon is easily twice the size of the dove, but they seemed to take a liking to each other.


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## Snowie

Hello all: I'm new to the site but not new to birds especially Pigeons! Have owned probably over 200 or so over the years from racers out of Roslindale MA in the late 50's to pets for my then young daughters in the late 80's. They grew up and moved out and I moved away and the birds became neighborhood pets! I've had two Parrots for ten yrs now and a old friend gave me a pure white Pigeon with wing problems he found in the yard and couldn't fly so I decided to give the bird a shot here. Someone grabbed the bird by the wings because both of her ( fairly large body ), arm ( wing ) pits were bruised pretty bad but she's doing real good now and seems to be getting a kick out of the Parrots and they of her. She's in a Quarantine and eventually will be in one of my big cages.


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## Elizabethy

Hi, carolewalsh-

Your white pij friend looks like a king pigeon to me (not albino). If you want to know more about king pigeons, there's lots of stories on my blog about the ones I've rescued (from euthanasia at shelters) and rehomed (including many to PT members). www.RescueReport.org and www.MickaCoo.org

I'm glad these two found you (and your bird feeder) and each other. Kings don't usually last too long on their own. They're big bodied (bred for maximum meat yield) and not the most speedy or agile of flyers so often are taken quickly by hawks. And, since they're domestic, they have no survival skills and starve without support.

They actually make very lovely pets or aviary birds. We have many available for adoption!

All best,
e


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## ptras

Snowie said:


> Hello all: I'm new to the site but not new to birds especially Pigeons! Have owned probably over 200 or so over the years from racers out of Roslindale MA in the late 50's to pets for my then young daughters in the late 80's. They grew up and moved out and I moved away and the birds became neighborhood pets! I've had two Parrots for ten yrs now and a old friend gave me a pure white Pigeon with wing problems he found in the yard and couldn't fly so I decided to give the bird a shot here. Someone grabbed the bird by the wings because both of her ( fairly large body ), arm ( wing ) pits were bruised pretty bad but she's doing real good now and seems to be getting a kick out of the Parrots and they of her. She's in a Quarantine and eventually will be in one of my big cages.


Are you currently in Mass?


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## doveone52

That's a sweet and beautiful picture!


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## carolewalsh

Elizabethy said:


> Hi, carolewalsh-
> 
> Your white pij friend looks like a king pigeon to me (not albino). If you want to know more about king pigeons, there's lots of stories on my blog about the ones I've rescued (from euthanasia at shelters) and rehomed (including many to PT members). www.RescueReport.org and www.MickaCoo.org
> 
> I'm glad these two found you (and your bird feeder) and each other. Kings don't usually last too long on their own. They're big bodied (bred for maximum meat yield) and not the most speedy or agile of flyers so often are taken quickly by hawks. And, since they're domestic, they have no survival skills and starve without support.
> 
> They actually make very lovely pets or aviary birds. We have many available for adoption!
> 
> All best,
> e


Elizabethy - Yes my pigeon sure looked like those King pigeons. And she was indeed, the biggest pigeon I've ever seen. Considerably larger than the other pigeons. And yet, the smaller pigeons would chase her from the feeder. Maybe that's why she hung out with the turtle dove - the other outcast. Are the King Pigeons always white?


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