# Can you help identify my pigeon?



## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Hi, 
I am brand new to this forum. 
I was wondering if anyone may be able to identify a pigeon (as in it's breed) for me. 
Here is a link to a photo I have just taken. 

http://www.woftamplace.com/images/cecila.jpg 

any assistance in identifying this pigeon would be greatly appreciated  


I myself knoq absolutely nothing about pigeons, but I am looking to learn very quickly. 
Let me quickly explain, 
My other half runs a store, and for the past month this pigeon has been coming in during the day to stay cool (I live in Australia, summer here), frolicking around the pet food aisle, then leaving in the evening. 
Wor dhas got out about this pigeons adventures in the shop and higher management had someone come today to kill the bird due to health restrictions in the store. 
Instantly we have now adopted this bird to save it from this terrible fate. 

Now I am trying to identify, and get any information possible about this pigeon so I can care correctly for it. 

Being a complete newbie is there anything other than a large aviary (which I plan to build tomorrow)...BTW is the correct term a loft?, fresh water and seed that I should be looking into? 

BTW this pigeon has no rings on it's legs, and no way to identify if it was previously owned, and I am certain if I release it it will only go back to the shop which is about 10 minutes away (and certain death).


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

*Breed Question*

Hello Alaska,

Welcome to this site. The most important question is food. Pigeons eat seeds. Ideally, a commercial pigeon feed. But, wild bird feed will work in a pinch, as will field corn, pop corn, etc. Check with local pet stores, feed stores, etc.

You may have a pigeon of mixed hertitage, although it looks like there could be some "Roller" in him. Some more people will post shortly with some ideals for you. And thank you for helping this pigeon.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

He is a lucky bird.
Thank you for saving him from certain death.
I agree, he has some roller in it.
A loft, aviary will be great for him.
If you have feed stores near by you might be able to find some pigeon mix, that is the best nutrition for him.
Also he will need some bird grit.

We do have some members from Australia, I hope they can help you out and give you info where to find food for this sweet pigeon.

Reti


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for your replies.
I have an alexandrian parrot, so luckily I have some of his seed that I gave to 'Cecil' (we have named the pigeon Cecil as the shop is in Cecil Hills). I have also read that pigeons drink water with their beaks like a straw, so I have a dish about 2 inches deep of water,and so far Cecil looks fairly comfortable, apart from the fact he is still squashed in a relatively small cage (something I will be looking into today), also will be getting specific pigeon mix from the pet shop.
As for the term roller,I was wondering if anyone has any links that explain more about the different breeds of pigeons, I have tried to find an index of some kind to identify him, but I cannot locate anything.
I guess I would just like to learn as much as possible to make sure this little guy is ok.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I don't know of any links with the differnet pigeon breeds, will try to find some.
Maybe other members know of any good links.
In the meantime you might type in search 'show pigeons". You might come up with something

Reti


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks Reti your help is appreciated,

I am looking into building a loft in the backyard over the next few days.
I was wondering what the minimum space requirements for one pigeon would be?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

There are lots of pictures and information about different breeds at this site: http://www.azpigeons.org/

Click on the link to Standards on the left and start looking!

There are also great photos here at pigeons.com in the gallery ..

Terry


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for this link, it looks to me like my pigeon is somewhere in the tumbler / roller category. Although I do notice his face and neck seem a little shorter than most photos and he has quite a plump chest.
Perhaps this is the due to a mixed heritage as previously mentioned in your posts.
Is black a common colour for a pigeon?
I myself have only ever seen blue/grey/brown coloured pigeons.
Also this pigeon has white primary feathers (is that the right term?), white leg feathers and a very distinctive white stripe that curls around from his beak around the left and finishes just above his left eye.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

alaska said:


> Is black a common colour for a pigeon?
> I myself have only ever seen blue/grey/brown coloured pigeons.
> .



Hi Alaska, 

Black isn't all that common in wild pigeons but in domesticated pigeons, it's not uncommon at all. You'd be amazed at all the colours, patterns and combinations of colours and patterns that have been produced in domestic pigeons, represented by hundreds of breeds


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Am I right to assume that this pigeon (which has no leg rings) is a wild pigeon? Is it common practise to get rings on all your pigeons?
If this is the case this pigeon would be quite rare??


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Most breeders and fanciers band their birds, but not all. So this isn't a reliable way to know if the bird is truly wild or not.


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

Well. I thought I had this little pigeon identified as a Taqlaji, but looked at the pic again. The Taqlaji is described as apearl eyed average sized pigeon with the coloring and eye marking as seen in the pic, but the Taqlaji also has a shell crest and mane without rosettes. Dang blast it, and I thought I knew.
Daryl


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Ok, so it is likely that Cecil may not be wild, just not ringed by his previous owner.
PigeonMama, Thanks for your attempts at trying to find out the exact breed for me, I thought maybe the rather distinctive strip across his face may be something common to a certain breed, I have been looking around but am finding it hard to locate, hopefully I can identify him shortly.
Also after a few days of thinking something was a little odd about his face, I realised today that Cecil has two different coloured eyes!
His Left eye is Dark Brown (Almost black) and his Right eye is Bright yellow.
Is it common for pigeons too have different colour eyes?
I will try and take some new pictures tomorrow to show his eye colouring as well as a picture of his new loft/pen.
Yes I built it the new loft/pen yesterday, and Cecil seems to be quite happy to be able to stretch his wings again.


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## SmithFamilyLoft (Nov 22, 2004)

Alaska,

Your bird "Cecil", just may be so very special, that God made him a "One of a Kind".  

I will go so far, as to say, that there is no other bird in the world, that looks exactly like your Cecil. If birds and animals have a thought process, then I would say, that he selected you, knowing somehow, that you are a very special human. Please keep us posted on your new friend. I do believe that he has adopted you. You should consider this a great honor. 

Your life, will now change in mysterious ways, that you could not have imagined. This bird of peace, will bring much discovery to your life, you just wait and see.


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

It kinda looks like a kormor tumbler. Or perhaps a or cross there of. Not a full wild type at all.


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for the replies.

Here are two pictures I managed to snap before I lost battery power on my camera:

First is the loft/pen that I built for Cecil:
http://www.woftamplace.com/images/loftpen.jpg

Second is a close up (although rather blurred) which shows how broad Cecil's Chest is and vaguely shows the stripe across his head, as he shows of standing on one leg.
http://www.woftamplace.com/images/cecilb.jpg

Do you think this is a suitable enclosure?
Should I make any modifications?

I am thinking of getting a mate for Cecil/ia in the future, are there any recommendations you could give or anything I should be careful of when selecting a mate? 

Oh and one last thing, how often do pigeons usually lay eggs?


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

I was wondering are tumblers and rollers the same or very similar?
I want to get a mate for Cecil so I want to get a similar breed.

BTW I have made up a quick page with some updated pics of how Cecil is looking, he looks much sleeker and stronger now, plus looking more comfortable in his new surrounds. It's only been a week, but it seems much longer.

Here is the link:
www.woftamplace.com/cecil

PS: I was wondering how you put a personalised avatar in this forum? I have a pic of cecil that would fit nicely


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

What a beautiful bird.
He is so lucky you found him and took him in.

Reti


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Cecil is a very handsome bird, indeed! You also made him a great home! As to the personal avatars, they are currently only possible for the moderators of the group.

Terry


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## elvis_911 (Apr 26, 2004)

Nice ideas i agree with ree lee.


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

Cecil thanks you for the nice comments, she does her best to pose in front of the camera  
Yes I have decided the refer to Cecil as a she until proven otherwise from now on due to her behaviour and appearance, I am almost certain that Cecil (formally Cecilia) is a she after spending some time around her. I just wish she would lay an egg to prove me right.

I went to the feed shop the other day and saw some nesting materials for different birds like canaries and budgies, they were very fine material, I also saw fine wood shavings, and some lucern which was a suggested nesting material, would you know if any of these materials are suitable for pigeons?

Are tumblers a sub-category of rollers, or vice versa?

Ree Lee and Elvis_911, would you have any url's to pages showing me what a kormor tumbler looks like?

Thanks


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## alaska (Mar 17, 2005)

*Is my search for Cecils breed over!*

Hi All,
I have been searching around the web looking at picture upon picture of pigeons in an attempt to home in (pigeon pun) on exactly what breed Cecil is.
If have found these two photos (courtesy of ANPA) that I believe closely resemble Cecil









Here is a picture of Cecil









A birmingham Roller









And a flying tippler

According to one site these breeds descend from the same heritage, and they both seem to have alot of appearance in common with Cecil. 
Perhaps as mentioned there may be a bit of a mix in Cecil history, though I am fairly confident that this lineage would be were Cecil has come from. 
Would you agree?


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