# Bandit Pigeons



## bluedingo (Oct 10, 2008)

Does anyone have any info on bandit pigeons? I'm curious as to their origins, racing distance, etc., so any information is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

If your talking about the white bandit then here's a website that sells birds down from him. I actually have a grandson of the white bandit. He's getting a lil old now 12 years old to be exact but he's still pumping out the babies. As a young bird he came in 2nd for me in a 150 mile race and he's raised me birds that have won out to 300 miles.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

http://www.hapycolofts.com/lofts/families/bandit.html


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## Pigeon0446 (Apr 22, 2007)

Thanks for posting the link to the site Idk how I managed to forget to post it in my post. LoL


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What a lovely old bird!

Bandits are supposed to be long distance racers. I have a xouple, but they never raced far, but they are inteliigent birds.


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## ezemaxima (Jan 12, 2008)

Got 10 birds including 3 young birds from Dexter and I agree that they are smart plus are great high and distant flyers. 

Here's a pic of the 2 adult cocks

COSMO









DUKE


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## Revolution Lofts (Aug 7, 2008)

nice pigeons


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## pigeonnewb (Jan 18, 2008)

If any of you have any questions about bandits. Just post them here and I can go ask Chic. I live in Fresno and I'm in the club with Chic and Judy.


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## bluedingo (Oct 10, 2008)

Thanks for the help guys, I'm probably going to try and pick up a breeding pair. I'm partial to the whites but i wasn't sure as to their racing quality. I've read that the darker feathers wear less and the darker birds are less likely to be targeted by hawks. Nonetheless, it looks like the Bandit line has demonstrated good racing ability for the light colored birds and I'll probably add a few to my flock.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

White birds don't get hit anymore than yellow, red, blue, black, etc. The birds that are more likely to get hit, are the ones that stand out the most. So in a flock of colored pigeons, yes a white one will probably get hit. But in a flock of white pigeons, its the colored bird that will probably get hit.
And as far as the quality of white feathers, I don't have much to say about it other than if they were that bad, there wouldn't be winning birds with white feathers


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Becky,

I've read somewhere (I don't remember where) that white feathers get damaged easier because of UV rays. Apparently darker feathers can resist more of this UV rays so the feathers get more intact. It is perhaps like a sunscreen if you well. I think they did the test in Africa during a long distance flight. It is not the heat of the sun that damages the feathers because obviously white feathers (as in white color) cools off more than darker color (which retains more heat).

My white birds get targeted more by my resident hawk than my colored ones. I think it has something to do with visibility. White color is so easy to see. Because I get hit once a week consistently since January of this year ( I lost 2 already, and 2 talon injured birds), I feel that this hawk likes my white birds than my neighbor's blue-bar and checkered birds. Lockdown doesn't work. It just delays the inevitable. Thus far my pigeons ended up very hawk aware and thank God, I have a sprint birds. One hawk swooped down 3 feet from me trying to get my birds foraging on the ground. I could almost touched that hawk's tail feathers.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Lockdown doesn't work. It just delays the inevitable. Thus far my pigeons ended up very hawk aware

I do the
same here,also, they stay in shape to out fly them ...as far as the white feathers I have read the same thing, but I think I read that soft feathers of any color would not hold up to the hardships of a long race, so I don't know if white feathers are just softer or if it is in the breeding and could be any color??...maybe someone will have more input on this, as my experience has not been long enough(I don't think?) to really have an opinion as of yet, so wouldn't want to seem like I know anything


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Well as feather goes. I would say on whites NOT really as much White grizzles. But whites people try to color breed. And going white over white for several generations NOW looking at feathere quality The white birds gett a weaker type of feather. ! where the guill gets lets say stiffer less flexible. This causes the feathere to break. Ever notice the ends of the out side flights that have broken off. The feather was to hard lost its abilty to flex. Then 2 The feather quality gets softer in the webbing allowing the feather to fray the webbing. Also you noice that it is getting a thinner feathere one you can see through. This makes for a finer feather That just can not hold up On the tougher races Where winds work the birds. Also Knowing the feather type of your birds be it white Or soft colors Knowing the distance the feather can hold in the birds If say that distance is 200 or 250 Then do not send the bird out past that. NOW white beings it is the small number in any color in most races IT will stand out more at the distance bring the hawk in for a meal. Now loft flying yes it can be seen further away. BUT in any area where hawk numbers are up Your birds will be seen . The only hope is good loft habits. Fly and trap. Fly and sit they end up the noon meal . Experiance on the birds side evade and notice is what the birds must have. Anyway this is my 2 cents


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

> Lockdown doesn't work. It just delays the inevitable. Thus far my pigeons ended up very hawk aware





> maybe someone will have more input on this, as my experience has not been long enough(I don't think?) to really have an opinion as of yet, so wouldn't want to seem like I know anything
> Yesterday 10:45 PM


 umm lock down does work but only while you have them in lockdown not inbetween when you let them back out again while the hawks are about, so even if "you dont know anything" you should know they will always be safer on the inside of the loft not outside lol  now as far as my experiance on whites being targeted by BOP's its not what happens here ,in my flock I used to have yellows, whites, blacks and reds and the order in which they took and killed my birds was this .. first all my yellows were grabbed (maybe they thought was milk chocolate who knows), then the reds started to dissapear (dark chocolate perhaps ?) then the black ones were being hit and every now and then a white would and still do get hit but not nearly as much as my reds (only 3 left)or black ones (6 left) but thats just my experiance here in my flying flock of 70 birds where I live.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Lockdown does work for a small period of time. Depending on how long you keep your birds in. BOP are going to find SOMETHING to eat at least once every three days. Unless there's ferals, a nearby nest, or something else attracting them around your loft, they should abandon your place sooner or later to find something to eat. However, once you let your birds out, it won't take long at all for more BOP to find your birds again.
The best way to prevent hawks from getting your birds is be smart. Don't let them out if you hear or see danger, and if you do and they're already out, try to get them in. If you can't, keep them flying. A bird at rest on the loft or in a tree is in a lot more danger than one in flight, in my experience. At least when flying, the pigeons can see everything around them and hopefully outsmart/outfly the hawks. In my opinion, that is. Also stay outside as much as possible when the birds are out so maybe the hawks will see you and not bother them. I've had hawks hit my birds on the loft when I was a couple yards in front of them though, so that doesn't always work.
And if you were to make a chart of all the birds I've lost to hawks, the colors were random. I've had blacks, blues, reds, whites, yellow, indigo...all kinds of colors, get lost to hawks. Not in any special order either. So I don't know. Maybe different hawks have different tastes?


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## Young Bird (May 2, 2007)

Well today I was pumping gas and there was a flock of feral flying franticly I instantly knew that a hawk was present so I looked around and there was a hawk flying around. I seen the hawk gradually gain altitude and wait for the flock of pigeons get close then the hawk dove at the flock and one pigeon separated from the flock and he took off behind the lone pigeon and grabbed him out of the air.

So what I think is hawks most likely go after the pigeon that separate from the flock.


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## RodSD (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks for the input guys! I have this resident hawk from couple of blocks from my house. They have a nest there. I also see another nest from the west of me. What happens is that after I get attack, I lock my pigeons for one week. The next week I release them again. The second day of release I usually get hit. Basically this hawk doesn't migrate. It stayed put. I can hear its call almost every morning at 6 am. I was in fact waiting for this idea of this hawk to migrate soon, but it doesn't. As I understand it, based on Natural Museum researchers data here in San Diego, one can see 3 hawks on average on a day in my area. They have this data plot and my location is a red zone. The worst part is that my house is only 2 or 3 houses down where this nest is located. This hawk has been here since January when I was gifted 8 pigeons.

I tried many ways to avoid this hawk, but they don't work. I tried flying at different times, but I still get hit. I now only release my birds 3 times a week and I still get hit. The safest is definitely not to fly them. If I do that I might as well not have flying pigeons as pets.

The only migrating predators I saw was red-tail hawk and osprey.

It is funny that hawks from different place show different preferences. Have you seen a cooper hawk trying to catch a crow bigger than him in a sky battling for 15 minutes? The hawks are so bold. I can go closer 5 feet at them and they don't budge.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

LokotaLoft said:


> umm lock down does work but only while you have them in lockdown not inbetween when you let them back out again while the hawks are about, so even if "you dont know anything" you should know they will always be safer on the inside of the loft not outside lol  now as far as my experiance on whites being targeted by BOP's its not what happens here ,in my flock I used to have yellows, whites, blacks and reds and the order in which they took and killed my birds was this .. first all my yellows were grabbed (maybe they thought was milk chocolate who knows), then the reds started to dissapear (dark chocolate perhaps ?) then the black ones were being hit and every now and then a white would and still do get hit but not nearly as much as my reds (only 3 left)or black ones (6 left) but thats just my experiance here in my flying flock of 70 birds where I live.


the quote was from rodsd...I appreciate your opinion, but not locking down is working for me right now....I would do that if and when I have too, but then I would think of getting out of homers if I could not fly them.....


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2008)

> the quote was from rodsd...I appreciate your opinion, but not locking down is working for me right now....I would do that if and when I have too, but then I would think of getting out of homers if I could not fly them.....


 well like I said before and you took it wrong but if your not losing birds then you dont have a hawk problem.. I dont even have any ferals left in my area because the hawks have eaten them or chased them some where else to parts unknown.. now getting back to what I posted way back when ,people lock their birds down usually only thru the winter months say november thru march or april depending on how infested your area is with BOPs.. when spring comes the hawks will mostly go back to eatting more wild birds and small mammals then your pigeons but it doesnt mean they wont try if they are in the immediate area ..now when winter comes if you have many hawks in your area they will get your birds as they are more on the half crazy and starved side due to very little of any other food source being around ..they wont give up as easily as they have when birds were plentiful thru the summer months and they will work your birds til one makes a mistake , sometimes you wont even see it but your bird just wont return . I say fly your birds if you can but if your losing them as much as you have been I would keep them in until next spring and let them muliply a little but thats just my opinion.. giving up my birds because I couldnt fly them  to me that wouldnt even make sense


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2009)

*White bandits*

Hello racing pigeon friends,

If you have questions about the White Bandits, go to my website: The belgian Home
of the White Bandit
address www.vdperre.be/duiven
and send me a mail
[email protected]

I am Roland Janssens, the breeder and racer of the "White Bandit" and still breeding and racing successfull pigeons of the Bandit Line.
Hapyco Lofts California imported the Bandits from my loft into the USA

Yours in sport

Roland janssens


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