The Saint is a fancy breed of pigeon was developed in recent years by H.P. Macklin using selective breeding, with primarily other existing fancy breeds. Saints, as well as all other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock dove (Columba livia). Breeds used in the development of the Saint included the Mane (Schmalkaldener Mohrenkopfs), Moorhead, and the Jacobin[1]
The Saint is known for its unusual and prolific feather ornamentation, its white pearl eyes, and its upright stance. The shell crest is large, curving around the head, and extending onto the neck. The legs are covered with feathers of about an inch in length extending onto the toes.
While it was originally developed as pure white, it is now seen in varied colored splashes or tigered.
History
This breed's beginnings are well known. H.P. Macklin started developing this breed from the Main, Moorhead and Jacobin in the late 1950s through the early 1960s, and reported on his early work in the American Pigeon Journal in the May issue of 1963. The name was derived from the city of its creation, Saint Louis. A breeding standard was developed for the breed to guide further development.[2] Macklin introduced feather curling into the breed using Frillbacks as the cross, but this feather feature is rarely, if ever, seen today. [3]
Status
The breed did have a club supporting the breed's development, but it is no longer in existence. The Rare Breeds Pigeon Club now supports this variety, along with other rare breeds.[4]
↑ Macklin. "APJ May, 1963"(PDF). American Pigeon Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
↑ Brancato, Tony (January 1976). "APJ January 1976". American Pigeon Journal.
↑ Brancato, Tony (February 1987). "APJ February 1987". American Pigeon Journal.
↑ Spurling, K. D. (July 1999). "PD July 1999". Pigeon Debut.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
