There are at least four main types of competitive pigeon sport:
Fancy pigeon refers to any breed of domestic pigeon, which is a domesticated form of the wild rock dove. They are bred by pigeon fanciers for various traits relating to size, shape, color, and behavior, and often exhibited at pigeon shows, fairs and other livestock exhibits.
The Fantail is a popular breed of fancy pigeon. It is characterised by a fan-shaped tail composed of 30 to 40 feathers, abnormally more than most members of the dove and pigeon family, which usually have 12 to 14 tail feathers. The breed is thought to have originated in Pakistan, India, China, Japan or Spain. There are several subvarieties, such as the English Fantail, the Indian Fantail, and the Thai Fantail. Charles Darwin used it as one of the examples in the first chapter of his book On the Origin of Species. He believed it was a descendant of the rock dove.
The tippler is a breed of domestic pigeon bred to participate in endurance competitions. Flying results of up to 22 hours (non-stop) have been reported.
The domestic pigeon or city dove is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove. The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics. Research suggests that domestication of pigeons occurred as early as 10,000 years ago.
Pigeon keeping or pigeon fancying is the art and science of breeding domestic pigeons. People have practiced pigeon keeping for at least 5,000 years and in almost every part of the world. In that time, humans have substantially altered the morphology and the behaviour of the domesticated descendants of the rock dove to suit their needs for food, aesthetic satisfaction and entertainment.
The Königsberg Colour-head Tumbler is a breed of fancy pigeon developed in the mid-18th century in Königsberg, East Prussia, from which it gets its German name. This breed of pigeon is well known in Russia because Königsberg is now a part of Russia, and is known as Kaliningrad.
The Galatz Roller or Galați Roller is a domesticated pigeon breed originating in Galați County, Romania. Because these pigeons perform air acrobatics when they fly, they became very popular among pigeon fanciers in both the country of origin and the rest of Europe, especially in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. The air acrobatics that these Galați Roller birds perform are comparable to those of the Oriental Roller and Birmingham Roller pigeons.
The Birmingham Roller is a breed of domesticated roller pigeon that originated in Birmingham, England. They were developed via selective breeding, for their ability to do rapid backward somersaults while flying.
The Komorn Tumbler is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. The breed has American and European varieties that are recognized as separate breeds at shows with classes catering for American Komorner Tumblers and European Komorner Tumblers. Originally bred for acrobatic flying as a tumbler pigeon, Komorners are seldom free-flown today, and exist only for exhibition in pigeon shows.
The Oriental Roller is a breed of fancy pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. Oriental Rollers, along with all other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are descended from the rock pigeon.
Tumbler pigeons are varieties of domesticated pigeons that are descendants of the rock dove that have been selected for their ability to tumble or roll over backwards in flight.
The Ukrainian Skycutter is a breed of pigeon that has been developed for high flying. It is a variety of domesticated rock dove. This breed of high flying tippler was developed by centuries of breeding.
Flying/Sporting is the name of one of three main groupings of breeds of domesticated pigeons used by pigeon fanciers in the United States. The other two are Fancy and Utility.
The Nun is a breed of fancy pigeon developed through many years of selective breeding. It was known as the Dutch Shell Pigeon in continental Europe. Nuns, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon . The Nun is one of the oldest breeds and was originally a flying tumbler before being developed for exhibition. It is a mostly white breed, with a hood of feathers, which gives the name to the breed.
The Serbian Highflyer is a breed of domestic pigeon that is bred for endurance flying. The breed is characterized by long circle flights up to 15 hours. It can fly as high as 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). There are about 20,000 fanciers of this breed in Serbia.
The Shiraz Tumbler is a pigeon breed that originally came from Shiraz in south central Iran. Its nickname is Afghani Shirazi pigeon and it has also been called "lahouri" or "domgir".
The Madrasi Highflyer also known as Thavdal is a breed of performance pigeon developed over centuries for endurance flying. Thavdal, along with other breeds of domesticated pigeons are all descendants of the rock dove.
Joe the Pigeon is a tumbler pigeon found in Melbourne, Australia and named after the President of the United States, Joe Biden. According to initial reports, the pigeon was believed to have flown 13,000 kilometres (8,100 mi) from Oregon to Melbourne in December 2020. The pigeon was identified based on a leg ring that matched that of a racing pigeon from Oregon that had disappeared two months earlier, though the ring was later found to be counterfeit. The pigeon was scheduled to be euthanised as a biosecurity risk, but was released by the Australian government after being determined unlikely to be of foreign origin.
