Exhibition. Homer. Pigeon. I have been asking for so long now. It’s been 100 years. Also I have a feeling that don’t spam or request multiple at once thing was for me. :/
Day 364#: Exhibition Homer Pigeon
Today's animal of the day is the Exhibition Homer breed of domestic pigeon/rock dove (Columba livia forma domestica)!
Photo credit: Steven Redmond
This charming breed of pigeon was first developed in the UK sometime during the 1900s, but they have since been imported to many other parts of the world by those who enjoy keeping and breeding fancy pigeons. Coincidentally, the person who suggested this pigeon (my good friend @randomanimaloftheday1fan) is also in the UK right now. She's obsessed with pigeons and has been begging that I do this specific breed for a loooong time since it's her favorite.
Photo credit: Andree Ines Walther
All the way back on day 36#, I talked about how rock doves have been domesticated for at least 3,000 years and at most 10,000 years, and during those thousands of years, humans have selectively bred them into a wide variety of different breeds and variants. At first, people mainly bred pigeons for meat or to carry messages over long distances, since they have the amazing ability to find their way back home using a combination of landmarks, the stars, and possibly even the Earth's magnetic field. However, eventually, people would start using pigeons for entertainment purposes, most notably pigeon racing (which started in Belgium). As this sport grew in popularity, people also began selectively breeding pigeons for shows and exhibitions, which, as their name suggests, was the reason behind the creation of this breed.
Photo credit: MelEngElis
Exhibition homers have a much longer face than their wild counterparts, with a large, rather blunt beak that (at least to me) gives off major non-avian dinosaur vibes. They also have a more upright posture, which makes them look more regal in the eyes of certain pigeon conquerors. Their necks are long and slender near the head, but broaden nearer to their chests. While this breed can come in a variety of different colors, breed standards require that all purebred individuals have white eyes and usually dark colored ceres (the featherless skin surrounding their eyes).
Photo credit: Andrew Kline
While some fancy pigeon breeds have been selectively bred to be unable to fly, feed themselves, or otherwise live happy and normal pigeon lives, the exhibition homer is considered a pretty healthy and ethical breed. Like all pigeons, they are very social and form very strong bonds with their owners and flockmates. They're also pretty good at raising their own young (which some unethical breeds cannot do), and can produce between four and six squabs in a single mating season. Both parents will work together to incubate their eggs and feed their young, which they do by producing a special type of "milk" in their crops and regurgitating it to them. While this liquid is very similar to mammalian milk, since it is not produced by mammary glands, both males and females are capable of producing it.
Photo credit: Bart Michiels
Also, because it's Pride Month, I would like to point out that gay and lesbian pigeons are very common. That's not specific to exhibition homers, though. Lots of animals, but especially birds, are very gay.
Photo credit: Giuseppe Manzelli
Thanks @randomanimaloftheday1fan for requesting this breed of pigeon!
