# What kind of pigeon is this?



## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I rescued a bird in Brooklyn, NY today. I have done this before and am okay as far as feeding and all the other usual stuff, but it is a very unusual looking bird and I was hoping someone could help ID the breed. At first, I thought I was going to rescue one of those poor baby Kings that are released for weddings etc. into a world they are not prepared to deal with, but he is different. He has a ruffle of feathers around his neck that kind of stick up in the wrong direction. He is all white except for a few black tail feathers and 2 small black dots on his neck. He has yellow eyes with red rings around them and a very long pinkish-orange beak. He doesn't seem to be sick or injured and I think may have gotten lost from a race or show, and just seems hungry and looking for his home. He'll see a rehabber asap, but in the meantime I would love to know what he is. Thanks.


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

He is definitely some breed because of the ruffle. I think it may be a show breed, but I'll leave that to the experts .


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

Yes, I think so too. His body is kind of longer and thinner than a regular NY pigeon. I also have an unreleasable pet pigeon and he has not stopped grunting since the other bird came into the house. They are in separate cages, of course, but he is acting so strangly, I'm not sure if it's love or hate! They were both turning and grunting for a while, but Beauty is in his box inside his cage and has lierally not stopped grunting. I have had other pigeons come for fostering and he has never behaved like this.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Are those feathers on the back or front of his neck? Sounds a bit like a domestic flight. Or a cross breed.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Can you post a pic?


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

The feathers are on the back of his rather thin neck. I am going to try  to post a pic.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I can not get the picture up. This site is asking for a URL, which I don't have. I tried to upload the pics to photobucket but for some reason it's not, telling me there is a network error. Is there an email address I could send to?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

I'll go with Becky's answer, a domestic flight or mixed with..


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

here is the bird.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

Thanks, Spirit Wings! He's sleek and long legged. The feathers on his head seem a little sparse. He's kind of funny looking, lol, I guess I'm so used to looking at good 'ol NYC street pigeons, he's a treat for me. I'm so happy that he seems really healthy, I don't know why he was camped out where he was but my best guess would be that the aviary he came from had sliding glass doors because thats where I found him, pacing back and forth on the terraces of 2 apts., trying to get in. He was kind of insisting to these people that he lived there. I'm so glad they didn't kick him off. Both tenants were very sympathetic and the sister of one knew me, so happy she called. I think it's a she and she is driving my Beauty crazy! Beauty has been of questionable sex, but I would say from the behavior today he's all male! And quite conceited! What a display!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Im not familiar with this breed, but he looks thin to me.. you may want to treat him for external and internal parasites, and give him a good pigeon grain mix.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

He does look thin, but I think thats also because he's young and of a streamlined design. He has been eating a good pigeon mix (from Foys) and also some Pigeon Candy(a seed mix treat) I gave him some grit and he really went for that too. I added some probiotics to the water today and was going to start him on a 4 in 1 treatment tomorrow, I usually do that when I take in an injured pigeon but I actually don't know if I should. She seems really healthy, aside from hunger and cold. I checked her over and can't find any mites or anything on the outside and the poops are classic. Do you still think I should start the 4 in 1 tomorrow? Now that she has bathed twice and preened the heck out of herself, I see that the feathered ruffle goes all the way around and the head feathers stand up a bit. She really is a lovely bird. I do think that she is some kind of crossbreed. We are having power outages here today, huge storm, but I have been scouring all pigeon info on internet todaywhen I can get on and can not locate this bbird.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> He does look thin, but I think thats also because he's young and of a streamlined design. He has been eating a good pigeon mix (from Foys) and also some Pigeon Candy(a seed mix treat) I gave him some grit and he really went for that too. I added some probiotics to the water today and was going to start him on a 4 in 1 treatment tomorrow, I usually do that when I take in an injured pigeon but I actually don't know if I should. She seems really healthy, aside from hunger and cold. I checked her over and can't find any mites or anything on the outside and the poops are classic. Do you still think I should start the 4 in 1 tomorrow? Now that she has bathed twice and preened the heck out of herself, I see that the feathered ruffle goes all the way around and the head feathers stand up a bit. She really is a lovely bird.


I see, It is not a breed I am familiar with, perhaps someone can let you know if him being "streamlined" is normal.. the feathers look untrifty too, they do not seem to be smooth on his body, may of been on a poor diet...? sounds like your taking great care of him, I would worm him seperate and wait on the 4 in 1 as it may not be strong enough to get all the parasites he may have.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I meant that I thought that was why he was thin, I am a novice at this for sure, and I'm sure your right that he is thin and undernourished. I have never seen a bird like this before and since I think he's a racer I assumed that maybe his shape was due to breeding for speed. I really don't know anything about the racers except that we have to rescue alot of them here in NYC. I should know by now not to assume anything. The feathers actually are smooth and gorgeous, I took the picture after one of her baths today so she was still wet and fluffing and preening. Dry, she is smooth and full feathered, the only feathers not laying flat are the ones around her neck. Thanks for the advice on the parasites and 4 in 1.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> I meant that I thought that was why he was thin, I am a novice at this for sure, and I'm sure your right that he is thin and undernourished. I have never seen a bird like this before and since I think he's a racer I assumed that maybe his shape was due to breeding for speed. I really don't know anything about the racers except that we have to rescue alot of them here in NYC. I should know by now not to assume anything. The feathers actually are smooth and gorgeous, I took the picture after one of her baths today so she was still wet and fluffing and preening. Dry, she is smooth and full feathered, the only feathers not laying flat are the ones around her neck. Thanks for the advice on the parasites and 4 in 1.


yes, he may be some sort of high flyer and built for it..glad to hear his feathers are good. racer/homers are the ones taken away from the loft, not sure what a domestic flight does or the high flyers for that matter...lol.. keep checking back and see if someone will enlighten us...lol..


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## pattersonk2002 (Jun 1, 2008)

*flight*

I take it this bird has no band? I am sure who ever owned this bird would want it back. I can't say for sure but it looks to be in perfect flying shape to me, not to fat to fly high. From what I understand these birds do have some what of a homing ability, perhaps as they are trained to take other peoples birds and return to there loft he may be planing an escape with his new found friend  >Kevin


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

It looks like it could be a cross with a Danzig high flier. Looks like some kind of high flier to me. Here is a Danzig. The photo you posted is too small for me to see details of the head and tail.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Danzig_highflier(red_self).jpg

Margaret


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## soymi69 (Nov 12, 2007)

The bird you got is a Danzig highflyer.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

spirit wings said:


> here is the bird.


*Well this bird looks like a New York flying Flight the eye cere is red and the bird has a pearl eye.The Flight has 12 tail feathers while the Danzig Higfflier has 14 - 18. Count the tail feathers if the bird has 14-18 tail feathers then it is a Danzig ,both the Flight and the Danzig have a pearl, but only the flight has the red eye cere*GEORGE


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

Kevin, Actually, she does have a band. I left a message, but haven't gotten a reply yet. Not that suprised, I don't think that I have ever picked up a "failed" racer that the owner has ever claimed. Sometimes they, or another member of their club half heartedly offer to take them back, but I don't trust them and they always seem just as happy for me to keep it. I am also not thrilled with people who lose birds. Or irresponsible breeders. To me, they are right up there with puppy mills and cateries. I spend alot of my time and money caring for these birds that become lost or disoriented, bred and cross bred by homespun mad scientists playing games with genetics. I will keep you posted.


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

Flockontheblock,
Hey  This might sound a bit silly, but indulge me; feel the head and back of the head, esp. where the feather seem to be pushing out; do you feel any bumps? I've had a pigeon that got scalped to death almost. But after alot of care and time she healed back, but there was a bump/scab that remained from the near fatal scalping. Now she has a funny tuft of feathers there, that she did not have before. Just a shot in the dark, cant tell much from the pic, but would guess a tippler/homer. What about the feet? a bigger pic would help. Good luck


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I could post better pics if you'll help. I can't get my pics to go up without a url, and don't have time to figure it out right now, but if you send your email address I can send them to you and you could post them for me like Spirit Wings did yesterday.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I have also seen birds damaged that way from cat attacks, and I don't think that's the case.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

I just spoke to the "owner" and just as I suspected he didn't give a crap, (or should I say a poop) He told me that he probably sold it at an auction and that I should "do whatever you feel like with it". I told him he was an a**hole, and that this is why people who rescue hate people like him. Irresponsible Loser!!!! He couldn't even say what the breed was or what mix it was, I think he just puts them together and makes a soup.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> I just spoke to the "owner" and just as I suspected he didn't give a crap, (or should I say a poop) He told me that he probably sold it at an auction and that I should "do whatever you feel like with it". I told him he was an a**hole, and that this is why people who rescue hate people like him. Irresponsible Loser!!!! He couldn't even say what the breed was or what mix it was, I think he just puts them together and makes a soup.


well if he sold it at auction, he did not need to take the bird back, nothing wrong with that...it was not his bird any longer, he may of thought you would be happy to get a free bird, He was'nt the irresponsible one, the bird just got lost from his owner, which was not him, he just banded the bird. but I can understand your sentiment with you having to deal with alot of racing pigeons that truley are rejected by their true owners, with these high flyers homing is not the most important thing as these are a performance breed that are loft flown, and the true owner that bought him at the auction very well may want his bird back, but no finding who that is.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

Sorry, but I do see something wrong with it. It may not be "his" bird anymore, but he certainly should bear some responsibility for it being lost and starving in a world that it is totally unprepared for. I think when a bird is sold at an auction, something I find abhorent, records should be kept and a new band should be put on reflecting the contact information for the new "owner". At least then, if the lost bird is lucky enough to be found by someone compassionate, before it is found by a predator or bad person, it could be returned. He may have thought that i would be happy to get a free bird? They are far from free. By the time I see that this bird is perfectly healthy and find a safe sanctuary, it will have cost me a couple of hundred dollars. If this were a dog or cat, the owner could be prosecuted for abandonment, there needs to be similar protection for these birds, IMHO.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> Sorry, but I do see something wrong with it. It may not be "his" bird anymore, but he certainly should bear some responsibility for it being lost and starving in a world that it is totally unprepared for. I think when a bird is sold at an auction, something I find abhorent, records should be kept and a new band should be put on reflecting the contact information for the new "owner". At least then, if the lost bird is lucky enough to be found by someone compassionate, before it is found by a predator or bad person, it could be returned. He may have thought that i would be happy to get a free bird? They are far from free. By the time I see that this bird is perfectly healthy and find a safe sanctuary, it will have cost me a couple of hundred dollars. If this were a dog or cat, the owner could be prosecuted for abandonment, there needs to be similar protection for these birds, IMHO.


ok, he did not abandon his bird, he sold it, so he would not be prosecuted, the owner has not even had a chance to collect the bird, because he can not be found, the pre owner just did not act in a way YOU may have. There are alot of caring and moral racing pigeon and performance breeders/fanciers/flyers on this site, so I would be careful of what you say. If you think this guy is not compassionate then that is your opinon. I have sold birds and try to be very careful, but it does not alway go as planned. a great member here is a careing racer, sold some birds to someone she thought was good, and ended up getting some birds home to her as he let them out for reasons she does not know, so you just can not be responsible for someone elses actions...but you can care about the situation, some just do not act the way we or you think they should.. thats all.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

My point is that I feel that the new owner should be either reachable by the original owner or by me. Records need to be kept. Birds are clearly individuals and should be treated that way. When a bird is sent out to "perform" and doesn't return, there shuld be a standard amount of effort to locate that bird. I'm sure that caring and responsible racing and performance afficianados would agree that there should be a certain level of accountability. I completely understand that you can not always be sure about the people you deal with and that is even more reason to band the bird with it's new current owners information when it is sold. Some do not act the way that I, or I'm sure you, would act and that is unfortunatly why it should be clear to all fanciers that there needs to be some standards. There has to be rules and laws in any profit driven industry to prevent abuse.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> My point is that I feel that the new owner should be either reachable by the original owner or by me. Records need to be kept. Birds are clearly individuals and should be treated that way. When a bird is sent out to "perform" and doesn't return, there shuld be a standard amount of effort to locate that bird. I'm sure that caring and responsible racing and performance afficianados would agree that there should be a certain level of accountability. I completely understand that you can not always be sure about the people you deal with and that is even more reason to band the bird with it's new current owners information when it is sold. Some do not act the way that I, or I'm sure you, would act and that is unfortunatly why it should be clear to all fanciers that there needs to be some standards. There has to be rules and laws in any profit driven industry to prevent abuse.


The seemless band goes on the bird when it is 6 to 8 days old, it is permanent, and any bird could of changed owners 10 times... if someone wants to put a custom band with their info on it, it would have to be a snap on band, they can take two months to get, and not every one that buys a bird/s is going to buy them, they are quite expensive, I have some. The bird or birds can get lost before they get their bands in, but I would guess most do not take the money or time to buy them. we really do not know who owned this bird and he could be missing him right now, if so perhaps he will think about getting some custom bands?. I did but I can't tell or make my neighbor do the same.. it's just the way it is. I for one would not want a law telling me what to put on my birds


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

I don't think there is any law.

Well, it depends. If this is an old person who has been breeding for, let's say, 30-40 years at least, I don't think it's even possible to have such a data bank! Imagine that this person has 200 pigeons, which annually produce 50 "for sale" pigeons. Let's imagine this was his stable number for 30 years. He would need to keep track of 1500 birds, and not just know who they sold it to, but also keep contact numbers updated, and also be informed of who this bird is sold to, if it is, in the future.
Imagine all that work for one bird. Now, multiply by 1500. It's not as easy as it looks.
Even us, at the shelter and organization, don't keep track of EVERY dog we give away FOR EVER. We keep track of them for 2-3 months to make sure they are at a nice home, but then we must assume that this dog is going to be treated the same for the rest of his life. On the other side, there is a signed "contract" that allows us to take the dog back if we find out the owner hasn't followed it.
Imagine you have a dog and for some reason you have to give it away. You give it to an irresponsible person, without knowing so. Law can't punish YOU if the new owner abuses the dog; the new owner must be punished. Usually in cases of one-to-one adoption you have the full name of the adopter and sometimes the document number, but it's not always the case. You can't be everywhere.


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## flockontheblock (Dec 13, 2009)

Just because the law can't punish you, doesn't make it right. If a person is selling 50 birds a year, it shouldn't be that difficult to take contact info., keep a notebook. But it's not even necessary for that to happen if the current owners info is on the bird. How expensive can the snap on bands be? How do you weigh WHATEVER that cost is against the suffering of these lost birds you profess to own, love, respect and care for? Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

flockontheblock said:


> Just because the law can't punish you, doesn't make it right. If a person is selling 50 birds a year, it shouldn't be that difficult to take contact info., keep a notebook. But it's not even necessary for that to happen if the current owners info is on the bird. How expensive can the snap on bands be? How do you weigh WHATEVER that cost is against the suffering of these lost birds you profess to own, love, respect and care for? Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking.


you are right, and I hope all will be encouraged to be just like you. but I would not hold my breath on it happening, how unfortunate it may be.


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## Lucifer (Feb 2, 2007)

That bird is a "New York Flying Flight". It is a bird that was developed in New York for flying in kits off of fanciers roof tops. 
The "Domestic Show Flight" is a kick off of this type of bird bred with other breeds to create the beautiful bird that it is. Also developed in New York.


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## wolverine (Jul 29, 2009)

Yes the bird is a NY Flying Flight. This one is a light teager or also called a white flight. Do you plan on keeping it?


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