A visit to the California Academy of Sciences, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, speaks volumes about the disaster that has befallen birds with the spread of humanity. A maze of narrow corridors in the scientific collections leads an explorer to the Ornithological Collection. There you will find a cabinet with a sign: “Extinct Birds.”
A well-known scientist, Warwick Kerr, thought that by hybridizing African and Brazilian bees he might be able to create a strain that was both calm and yielded a rich lode of honey. But before Kerr could do the experiment, a Brazilian beekeeper visiting Kerr’s lab deliberately allowed some of the African bees to escape. That beekeeper’s motives are unknown, but besides possibly hastening the exit of Spix’s macaws, he has been responsible for the deaths of numerous human beings.
In a poignant twist, the last known wild male Spix’s macaw was discovered in 1990 paired with a female, but the female was not of his own species. The male Spix was trying to reproduce with was a female blue- winged macaw. The mismatched couple did mate, and she even laid eggs, but, as one might expect, the eggs were infertile.
More than seventy Spix’s macaws now live in captive breeding programs run by conservationists. To counter the risk of losing genetic variability due to inbreeding, individuals have been exchanged between various institutions in an effort to maintain their genetic diversity.
After patching up the hawk mount I continued my experiment, but I also wanted
to know how both parents responded to a predator after having invested even more
in their offspring. Since both parents feed their chicks, I conducted similar
trials once the chicks had hatched and the parents were feeding them as
nestlings. I found that both when parents were incubating, and when they were
feeding their nestlings, they were hesitant to enter their nests in the presence
of these ‘hawks’. However, the parents responded differently depending on how
far up the mountain they lived. If they were from high elevation, the parents
were much more likely to be scared away by the ‘hawk’ predator.
To find out whether chickadees that live high up behave differently in
response to predators, I carried out an experiment. To do this, I placed a
tripod at the entrance to a nestbox and scrambled away to become one with a
distant pine tree, while keeping my binoculars trained on the recently departed
female and the nest. When the female returned, what did she do? The mother
stopped short of the nest area, rather than ‘bird’-lining it straight for the
entrance. She was agitatedly hopping from branch to branch scolding the hawk for
being near her nest. She flew off, only to return later. Eventually, she entered
the box to make her eggs hot.
How might these unexpected results be explained? One possibility comes from a
study on a closely-related English bird called the Great Tit (leave it to old
English men). Ella Cole and her colleagues found that parents who were better at
solving a novel problem were also more likely to abandon their offspring when
disturbed. High elevation chickadees, like their problem-solving cousins, have
superior cognition compared to their less smart low elevation counterparts.
Mountain Chickadees use food-storing as a way to survive winter. Since high
elevation chickadees contend with harsher environments, they have superior
spatial memory than low elevation chickadees, allowing them to recover enough
stores to survive more severe winters. So, could it be that there is some kind
of trade-off between being smart and being willing to take a risk? The reason
behind these results remains intangible, but maybe smart individuals just make
poor parents.
It’s that most wonderful time of year when the word “nutcracker” enters into
conversations again, and mostly because of the title character in a fanciful
holiday ballet. In the story, the Nutcracker is not a bird, but there are birds
that are nutcrackers.
In fact, there are two birds, both members of the crow family, named
nutcracker. The Clark’s nutcracker is found throughout the high mountains of
western North America; the spotted nutcracker lives in the mountains of Eurasia,
including the Himalayas. Both of these birds feed primarily on pine “nuts,” the
hard seeds found inside pine cones. Their long, strong bills enable them to
extract the seeds from in between the stiff scales of pine cones.
Other avian nutcrackers are the macaws, large members of the parrot family.
The birds’ name, macaw, comes from an indigenous South American word for palm
nut. Macaws are among the few animals capable of cracking very hard-shelled palm
nuts to feed on the high-energy oily nut meats inside. Their formidable
nut-cracking ability is thanks to their very tall, stout, hooked beaks and their
strong jaw muscles, which enable them to exert a maximum bite force of up to
2,000 pounds per square inch — 10 times that of a human and twice that of a
snapping turtle. Only crocodiles can bite as hard as a macaw, but they don’t
like nuts.
At this time of year, people often put out bowls of nuts in the shell for
holiday gatherings. It is nearly impossible for anybody to crack them with their
bare hands or teeth, though, so if we want the nuts to be more than just
decoration, we will make sure there is a mechanical nut cracker and nut pick
nearby. But, if our guests were large macaws, they could easily help themselves,
exerting the bite force needed for cracking even the hardest nutshell, and then
using their nimble feet and pointed beak to deftly extract every little bit of
nut meat.
Dr Andrews, of the Newcastle University Centre for Behaviour and Evolution said: "Building up body fat reserves as a safeguard against times of potential future famine is an evolved survival mechanism. What we have shown is that birds that had struggled against larger brothers or sisters for food early on were keener on finding food and tended to overeat when they became adults".
To ensure that some birds were disadvantaged by experiencing greater competition, smaller starling chicks were placed in a brood with significantly larger hatchlings. These chicks had to work harder than their siblings to be fed, spending more energy on calling to their parents for food and jostling to the best feeding position.
Dr Andrews explains: "The smallest chicks were bottom of the heap and had a tougher time because they would have had to beg hardest for food."
These disadvantaged chicks were compared with birds that were placed in broods with significantly smaller chicks. After ten days, disadvantaged and advantaged chicks all lived together in relative luxury so that it was only their 'chickhoods' that differed.
Birds that had a tougher start spent more time searching for hidden crumbs despite the ready availability of alternative sources and ate more of the freely available crumb when they accessed it. The birds that had an easier start, having been the largest in the nest, opted instead to take the easy pickings in moderation.
The scientists suspect that the birds with a tougher start, the disadvantaged starlings, were behaving as if they were worried food might run out suggesting that they have a 'memory of hunger' from when they were small which drives them to overeat when presented with freely available food.
Audubon Minnesota, Conservation Minnesota, and Lakeville Friends of the
Environment will present the Audubon Bird Impact Study and discuss future
impacts on Minnesota birds 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Lakeville Heritage
Library, 20085 Heritage Drive.
Based on a recent bird impact study released by Audubon Minnesota last fall,
166 bird species commonly found in Minnesota are at great risk. Audubon’s
scientists analyzed more than 30 years of historical North American climate data
and tens of thousands of historical bird records from the U.S. Geological
Survey’s North American Breeding Bird Survey as well as utilized information
from the Audubon Christmas Bird Count to understand the links between where
birds live and the climatic conditions that support them. Understanding these
links allow researchers to project where birds are likely to be able to live and
thrive in the future.
How many of our current bird species will be here in 20 years? What new
species might move into the state from the south? Researchers predict changes
are certain. We’ll lose species, boreal nesters in particular, as they follow
their breeding climate north. Bird species now found to our south will enter
Minnesota for the same reason.
This is one of those topics easily dismissed as far in the future. Not true.
Birds are at risk more and more each day. A story in The New York Times today
(Friday, Oct. 23) predicts that when the carbon dioxide content of our
atmosphere returns to 400 parts per million this winter, it will never again be
less. It will only climb. Seasonal change based on summer vegetation causes the
measurement to vary slightly; it dropped a few weeks ago from over 400 to just
under. It was at 398.48 on the 23rd.
BirdLife Australia’s state of Australia’s birds report in July found magpie,
kookaburra, lorikeet and willie wagtail numbers are declining.
Gazing at large numbers of birds darting overhead may not be ideal for people
with Hitchcockian fears but the steady emptying of Australian skies of some
species is getting twitchers a little, well, twitchy.
The annual Aussie back yard bird count swooped into action in Melbourne’s
Federation Square on Tuesday morning with the expectation that some worrying
declines in some of Australia’s most common birds will be confirmed.
BirdLife Australia’s state of Australia’s birds report, released in July,
found that well-known species such as the magpie, kookaburra, lorikeet and
willie wagtailwere dropping in numbers across large parts of the country.
The backyard count, which encourages people to step out of their house for 20
minutes to count birds, is a less rigorous exercise. Last year’s effort included
reports of penguins in the Murray river, after all.
But the count is expected to highlight the level of concern over Australia’s
birds that recently prompted a federal government plan to save some of the most
threatened of our feathered friends, including the helmeted honeyeater and the
night parrot.
The concrete-slathered Federation Square may not be a birders’ paradise but
even here a total of seven species were spotted in 20 minutes, including – of
course – the rock dove, or pigeon.
The highlight was probably two bright flashes identified as lorikeets by the
experts at BirdLife Australia as handlers fed two celebrity birds – Min Min the
one-eyed barn owl and Kevy the nankeen kestrel – perched on gloves. Children
happily scribbled colours into outlines of hawks and eagles on paper.
Thousands of birds have begun arriving at the salt marshes, mangroves and
mudflats along Adelaide's northern coast as part of their annual migration.
About 27,000 birds call the area home each summer with many making the
journey from as far away as northern Asia and Alaska.
The South Australian Government bought the 60-kilometre stretch from the
Barker Inlet to Port Parham, some 2,300 hectares, in August last year to turn
into a bird sanctuary.
Proclaimed as the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary, the Government has
committed to invest $1.7 million to the project.
Birdlife Australia has been monitoring the shorebird population in the Gulf
St Vincent for the past eight years to identify how best to protect the
environment to ensure the 200 species continue to make the journey every
year.
Research and conservation officer Chris Purnell said there had been a
staggering decrease in shorebird numbers over the past 45 years.
Many of the birds travel more than 11,000 kilometres to reach the South
Australian coast, along the East Asian Australasian Flyway, and depend on the
area to fatten up for the long journey back to their breeding grounds.
But Mr Purnell said conservationists faced an up-hill battle in protecting
the environment, particularly from damage caused by four-wheel driving
enthusiasts.
Groups unite to protect bird population
Members of 30 different organisations have banded together to lead the
establishment of the Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary.
The group, which goes by the name The Collective, consists of representatives
from the Kaurna community, local and state government and the tourism industry,
as well as bird experts, university leaders, school students and members of the
Vietnamese Famers Association.
The group is also discussing the possibility of establishing camping areas
within the sanctuary for avid bird watchers.
Birds and humans are often remarkably similar when it comes to mate choice and falling in love, finds a new study that suggests nature maybe have a romantic side after all.
Successful relationships among birds, as well as humans, are not just about the strongest, fittest and best-looking among us, but instead rely upon pairings based on compatibility and attraction to others.
Malika Ihle of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues wrote that “zebra finches choose mates on the basis of behavioral compatibility” and can’t stand being in a relationship that is “forced,” a/la an arranged marriage between a man and a woman.
Impressive Bird Flying Formations: Photos
For the study, Ihle and co-authors Bart Kempenaers and Wolfgang Forstmeier set up a speed-dating session for the little birds, allowing 20 females to choose freely between 20 males.
When the birds paired off, half were allowed “to go off into a life of wedded bliss,” the researchers said in a press release, while the other half experienced an intervention. Like overbearing Victorian parents, the scientists split up this second group of happy couples, and forcibly paired them with other “broken-hearted individuals.”
Bird couples, whether satisfied or somewhat disgruntled, were then left to breed in aviaries. The authors monitored what happened next.
I was upstate again this past weekend, collecting Desi from his week with his grandparents, and took a couple of hours early Sunday morning to visit my favorite Saugerties birding spot, the Great Vly. As is to be expected in late August there were many young birds around getting the hang of living life on their own. Green Herons, Eastern Kingbirds, Tree Swallows, Cedar Waxwings, and a host of other species were successful in breeding and there were a lot of birds around. But what really drew my attention was a particular patch of trees that had quite a few small passerines foraging.
There were Tufted Titmice and Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches and American Redstart. The birds were busy, intent on finding their forage, so they paid little attention to the giant biped with his tripod.
Then I caught a quick glimpse of a small bird, very white below, that didn’t look quite like the Warbling Vireos that were also occupying the space. I’m not sure what keyed me in to this bird, but something seemed different. I tried to get another look at it but it seemed to have disappeared further back into another tree. Oh well. The Warbling Vireos were still around and I enjoyed watching a fledgling begging and its parent ignoring it.
Clear your calendar for September 4-6! That’s when thousands of people
worldwide will head out to a beach near them for Global Shorebird Counting. It’s
part of World Shorebirds Day (celebrated annually Sep. 6), which raises
awareness of the perils threatening shorebirds and the need to protect them and
their habitats.
I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of counting, so maybe this is a good
way to start. (For sure, shorebirds are less likely to hide out in dense
foliage, and probably also more stationary, save for the occasional patrolling
raptor or off-leash dog.) Will I finally make it to one of the Jersey Shore’s
birding meccas in search of Ruddy Turnstones, Red Knots, American
Oystercatchers, and tons of plovers and peeps? If I do, I’ll register it
here—hopefully you can do the same at your local shorebird hotspot!
The effort uses eBird to tally the numbers of shorebirds that people spot the world over. Interestingly, citizen science isn’t its primary goal. (Though researchers who mind eBird data will no doubt benefit from these data.) Rather, according to the organizers, “This program aims to give a picture of the power of field work, to help non-counters to improve their counting skills, and to increase the number of counters worldwide.”
After two weekends of cross-country birding, it was time to spend a bit of
time catching up on the local action. Monday 1st June was a long overdue day off
for me and with a few hours to kill, it made perfect sense to spend some time at
Cranford Park.
I have to admit that things were not as noisy as I had hoped for. Busy
Blackbirds and Robins were showing well and the occasional alarm call from a
Blackcap could be heard as I made my way into the woodland. Blue Tits were
probably the most numerous of sightings with Chiffchaff a close second. With
conditions overcast but the temperature reasonable, there was no shortage of
insect action too, and my first Speckled Wood butterfly of the year put in an
appearance.
Dominating the air within the woodland however were loads of Longhorn Moths.
I think I spent a fair part of my walk through the woods gently waving these
long antennaed Lepidoptera from my face.
Both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers could be heard and briefly seen, but
most tree holes seemed to have been occupied by Jackdaws. Long-tailed Tits and
Wren were also seen in the woodland area along with an occasional Dunnock and
the ever present Parakeets. The meadows of the park were sporadically busy with
shy Whitethroat and a few Goldfinch zipping across the open grassland. There was
neither sight not sound of any Skylark. Only the Meadow Pipits were putting in
any kind of appearance and this youngster was very obliging.
The River Crane saw a long Grey Heron hunting and a single Kestrel over the
Meadows. This female Orange Tip proved elusive to the camera but the final shot
has something of an arty look to it so I’ve decided to throw it in!
With Mrs Sausage out at a conference on Saturday morning and some proper
summer weather, I made a beeline for Staines Moor. Sightings here had been mixed
over the week but there always seems to be something to see on the Moor and a
free morning was too good to waste!
The walk down to Stanwell Moor brought Greenfinch, Goldfinch, hidden
Goldcrest, a low-level Common Buzzard and this House Sparrow.
Having negotiated some very overgrown nettles, thistles and brambles,
Stanwell Moor was awash with white fluffy Salicaceae seeds. A summer snowfall of
light, wispy parachutes floating on the breeze. The seeds were sticking to
anything and everything, including yours truly. You can just about pick them up
on this picture of a singing Whitethroat.
The overgrowth of green foliage on Stanwell Moor was such that I expected to
hear cries of help from lost birders any minute! Nettles and greenery over head
height did make spotting insects and butterflies quite easy though, and my first
Green-veined White butterfly of the year was spotted at eye level!
As I moved onto Staines Moor, I met the very affable Robert Martin. Being
fairly new to birding on the moor, it was good to glean some knowledge from a
regular. A Common Tern was giving fantastic views as it hunted along the Colne
and I could have stood and watched this elegant bird all day long.
Flying back and forth, hovering then plunging into the river on regular
occasions it was a lovely sight to behold.
I was also lucky enough to finally get some clear views of the very vocal
Reed Warbler I have been hearing on recent visits. Despite the breeze it
remained in the open just long enough to get focus and steal a few shots.
I went from the obvious to the elusive in a few moments though as this Common
Blue butterfly weaved a path at my feet. However, the closer I got to it with
the camera, the lower and lower it descended lower into the grass, before
hugging the depths and taking flight. So much for unobstructured views!
A noisy Green Woodpecker was moving across the north east section of the moor
and seemed to be everywhere I went in that section, but it was staying grounded
almost the whole time and didn’t show for a clear shot. This Kestrel was far
more accommodating, resting on the bridge over the Colne just long enough for a
few mid-range shots.
Raptor activity continued with a Red Kite over briefly before heading towards
the reservoirs. As I made my way around Whitethroat, Goldfinch and Linnet were
all spotted. This Linnet was perching helpfully in the open.
My walk back through the jungle of Stanwell Moor also offered the opportunity
to get this Banded Demoiselle sitting at head height.
Sighting of the day however was this Little Owl in the horse paddock. Thanks
to a heads up from Dominic Pia on Twitter! A short scan of the posts in the
paddock brought a quick reward and my first Little Owl of the year!
Cackie Cullen was so fascinated with owls that she crammed 13 them into tiny
where they did not have space to flap their wings. Among her sad collection were two types of eagle owl and also a beautiful, pure white snowy owl.
Fans of Harry Potter know how snowy and eagle owls play a vital role in his battle against the powers of darkness. The boy wizard even has his own pet snowy owl called Hedwig.
Unlike Harry, who kept his owl in the lap of luxury, 67-year-old Cullen imprisoned her birds in filthy conditions where they did not have enough drinking water.
Cullen, who lives in Seahouses, Northumbria, has now been banned from keeping birds for life and ordered to pay £500 compensation after being found guilty of animal welfare offences.
She appeared at Hastings Magistrates' Court on July 3 after an investigation by the RSPCA.
After the case, the RSPCA put out an alert, asking the public to contact their emergency hotline if Cullen decides to collect any more birds. The RSPCA says it is concerned about people keeping exotic animals as pets and reminds anyone thinking about buying one that they must have the knowledge to provide their welfare needs. RSPCA inspector Cora Peeters described how she was left shocked the moment she saw Cullen's tragic menagerie.
"It took my breath away when I walked into that shed and saw the rows of these beautiful birds crammed into tiny, filthy cages," said Inspector Peeters.
It's never quiet in the Silsbee household in Hamilton.
Outside, bengalese, gouldian and zebra finches flit around in their cages, a symphony of chirps and flapping wings.
Harry the cockatiel courts long-time love Hazel while a pair of quail take their bottom spot in the pecking order, literally, searching for seed down below.
Daniel Silsbee 11, will be showing off some of these characters at the Annual Hamilton Cage Bird Club Show on July 4 and 5, at the Hamilton Gardens Pavilion.
"I don't know why I like birds but I've always wanted one since I was really young," he says.
Previously volunteering at the show, Daniel says he hopes to enter a few of his birds in the show's open category competition this year.
"I would like to take my bengalese that I bred this year. I don't know how many cages I can get so it depends on that.
"They judge the birds on different things like the sound they sing in, their colour and how they sit on their perch," he says.
Daniel credits the Hamilton Cage Bird Club for teaching him how to keep new additions from flying away and how to properly care for his birds so they can breed.
"You keep on learning stuff and it's nice to talk to people that know a lot about birds," he says.
Hamilton Cage Bird Club Secretary Clayton Putt says Daniel is the youngest member of the club, which holds monthly meetings and takes part in shows around the country.
"He's very keen. He loves his little birds.
"We've got to have younger members coming in, otherwise the club won't be able to continue and our bird-keeping knowledge will be lost to the next generation," he says.
Daniel's mother Lori Silsbee says they realised Daniel had a passion for birds from a young age, buying him a New Zealand bird identification book when he was 3 years old.
Tree Swallows fly with intense intent as they forage over water for insects. This bird was
photographed in April, when its early return made serious work of finding insects for food. Tree Swallows capture all of their food on the wing. They can share nesting territory with Eastern Bluebirds because the latter feed on insects found on the ground. They don't compete for food, but will compete for nesting cavities, both species using cavities exclusively. You often see what are commonly known as bluebird houses (nesting boxes) set out in pairs. Swallows will take one, then defend the territory from use by other Tree Swallows. This leaves the second box open for use by bluebirds.
Scientists in China have described a new species of early bird, from two fossils with intact plumage dating to 130 million years ago.
Based on the age of the surrounding rocks, this is the earliest known member of the clade that produced today's birds: Ornithuromorpha.
It pushes back the branching-out of this evolutionary group by at least five million years.
The little bird appears to have been a wader, capable of nimble flight.
The discovery is reported in the journal Nature Communications.
Birds began to evolve from the dinosaurs some 150 million years ago at the tail end of the Jurassic period. This is the age of the famous but hotly contested "first bird" Archaeopteryx - now considered by many to be a feathered dinosaur.
Some 20 million years later, when the newfound species was wading and flitting through what would become north-eastern China, palaeontologists believe there was quite a variety of bird life.
Bare legs
About half of those species were Enantiornithes, a group of early birds with teeth and clawed wings that eventually all died out.
The other half, including the new find, were Ornithuromorpha - a group that eventually gave rise to modern birds and looked much more like them.
The branching event behind that forked diversity is what the new discovery pushes back in time; previously the earliest known Ornithuromorph was 125 million years old.
Minnesota, the top US turkey producing state, has found two more commercial
turkey flocks to be infected with a lethal strain of avian flu, including one in
a previously established quarantine zone, the US Department of Agriculture said
on Monday.
The state in the past month has found that H5N2 flu, which can kill nearly
all the birds in a flock within 48 hours, has infected seven flocks, according
to the USDA. In the last week alone, the number of birds to be culled in
Minnesota because of the flu has topped 150,000.
The infected flocks were in the state’s biggest turkey-producing counties.
Kandiyohi and Stearns counties were the top two turkey-producing countries in
Minnesota in 2012, according to the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
Minnesota’s turkey farmers raise about 46 million birds annually accounting
for more than $600m in income, according to association. Nationwide, farmers
raised about 240 million turkeys in 2013, according to the USDA.
Ninety percent of the turkey products processed in state are exported out of
Minnesota, and of that 90%, 15% are exported, the association said.
Recent bird flu infections in states stretching from Arkansas to California
have prompted overseas buyers to limit imports of US poultry from companies such
as Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride and Sanderson Farms.
The latest US infection was the third case detected in Stearns County,
Minnesota, which is northwest of Minneapolis. The infected flock of 76,000
turkeys is already in a quarantine zone established because of a previous
infection in the county, according to the USDA. The quarantine limits the
movement of poultry in and out of the area around an infected flock.
Another new case of H5N2 flu was detected in a flock of 26,000 turkeys in
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, which is west of Minneapolis.
Both flocks will be culled to prevent the virus from spreading, and the birds
will not enter the food supply, according to the USDA.
Officials believe the flu is likely being spread by waterfowl, but do not
know precisely how the virus is making its way into commercial poultry
operations. Molecular testing has shown the H5N2 virus is nearly identical to
viruses isolated in migratory ducks, according to the USDA.
Wild birds can carry the disease without appearing sick, and the USDA has
advised people to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry and wildlife.
So far, no human infections of the virus have been detected.
Don’t feed the pigeons
– unless you want to travel the world, forge life-long friendships and fall in
love. These are just a few of the many perks of the pigeon hobby touted by
fanciers from around the globe.
“Some people make art
with paint and clay, we make art with pigeons,” said Leon Stephens, president of
the Los Angeles Pigeon Club. Stephens studied genetics in college before
starting his career as a health inspector.
Pigeon fanciers, or
“bio-artists”, as Stephens describes himself, raise pigeons from infancy and
breed them for show. Just as Charles Darwin did in his research for On the
Origin of Species, pigeon fanciers select physical features and cross birds with
particular characteristics to generate offspring with a specific aesthetic. The
result is an eclectic variety of pigeon breeds with exotic colors, wings, crests
and tails.
A Budapest tumbler pigeon.Photograph: George de la Nuez
“I can’t explain what
draws me to the hobby,” Stephens said. “My passion for pigeons borders on
Freudian.”
Nestled in his sunny
backyard pigeon coop in Norco, California, Stephens introduced the beautiful
breeds that have brought him a lifetime of joy. Spectacular birds strutted and
flew around the coops like movie stars, sporting high feather hoods, peacock
fan-like tails, and augmented chests. Stephens grinned with pride.
“This is nothing
compared to the collection at the German Pigeon Museum,” Stephens said. Germany
is known as the mecca of pigeons, boasting shows with up to 35,000 fancy pigeon
entries. Many pigeon fanciers make the pilgrimage and import special breeds. The
US pigeon community is relatively smaller, but thriving.
Champion Holler Cropper pigeon.Photograph: George de la Nuez
Mike Tyson, boxing
champion and devoted pigeon fancier, released 198 white pigeons into the sky to
open the ceremonies last month at the National Pigeon Association Grand National
in Ontario, California. Pigeon fanciers from 21 countries competed with 7,844
pigeons of over 300 breeds. Ron Bordi was the overall show champion, winning
with his Oriental Frill breed pigeon. The show also featured pigeon artwork, a
grand banquet and a competition for juniors.
Pigeon fanciers who
got started as children and competed internationally say they learned
compassion, responsibility and tolerance through raising pigeons.
“If all the presidents
of this world were pigeon fanciers, we would have a much better world to live
in,” said Fadiel Hendricks, Grand National attendee and president of the
National Fancy Pigeon Association of South Africa. Hendricks has been a fancier
for over 40 years. His club staged exhibitions in popular shopping malls to
raise awareness about the hobby. Their efforts were a success. The South African
association gained recognition as an official sports body in 2008.
Fancier Chuck Zeller,
73, credits his pigeon club membership with keeping him off drugs and out of
trouble while growing up in a rough neighborhood in El Monte, California. He
received his first set of pigeons in 1952 from his nextdoor neighbor, an LAPD
officer. When he married, his wife’s friends asked how she could stand her
husband’s pigeon hobby. Zeller says she told them: “At least I know where my
husband is at night. Where’s your husband? What bar stool is he sitting on?”
“It really helped me
relax with my family,” said Zeller. “Whenever I had a stressful day at work, I’d
come home, swat my wife on the butt and head out to the pigeon coop before
dinner.”
A dragon pigeon.Photograph: George De La Nuez
The older population
of pigeon fanciers hopes to pass on their love of the hobby to the next
generation. Many of the club members have been friends for over 50 years and
their genuine connection is heartwarming. At a recent Los Angeles Pigeon Club
meeting they served each other cake for someone’s birthday. A little boy ran
around laughing and playing. They shared hugs and gave standing ovations. A
glamorous lady tenderly stroked a black fantail pigeon on her shoulder.
Two Los Angeles Pigeon
Club members even found love through the hobby. In 1969, pigeon fancier Frank
Barrachina saw a photo of Tally Mezzanatto with her prize pigeon in the American
Pigeon Journal and wrote her a letter. They have been together ever since,
raising 1,000 pigeons in their backyard and traveling to compete in shows all
over the world.
Indian fantail pigeon.Photograph: George de la Nuez
Mezzanatto, a retired
microbiologist in the field of tuberculosis for the department of public health
says that contrary to popular belief, pigeons are not dirty, disease-ridden
vermin. According to the New York City department of health, pigeons seldom
spread disease to humans, and when they do, its rarely life-threatening.
“If people worried
about the spread of disease between humans the way they worry about the spread
of disease from pigeons, they’d never leave the house,” says Mezzanatto.
Rick Barker, director
of the American Pigeon Museum in Oklahoma City, believes the public perception
of the pigeon as a filthy animal originated in the Woody Allen classic film
Stardust Memories when a pigeon flies into the apartment and Allen screams:
“They’re rats with wings!” Barker says visitors to the American Pigeon Museum
are often surprised to learn about the long shared history of pigeons and
humans.
“Entering the museum
for the first time is like watching a movie on an Imax when you’ve only ever
watched black and white TV,” said Barker. “Some people have even been moved to
tears.”
Another fantail pigeon.Photograph: George De La Nuez
The history of pigeons
is extensive and dramatic. The use of pigeons to carry messages dates back to
Noah’s Ark and, before that, Gilgamesh. The ancient Romans used pigeons to
deliver results of chariot races. Genghis Khan established pigeon relay posts
across Asia and Eastern Europe. Charlemagne designated pigeon raising as the
exclusive privilege of the wealthy. During the second world war, spies used
pigeons to carry information across the Channel between Great Britain and
France. This is just a single page from the multi-volume oral history book
veteran pigeon fanciers delve into with one another and newcomers to the hobby.
Muhammad Shaheed, a
civil engineer and young father of five, grew up raising pigeons in Bangladesh
before moving to the US and joining the Los Angeles Pigeon Club. He hopes to be
a bridge between the older, knowledgeable members and the next generation.
“There are two Muslims
in the club,” said Shaheed. “The whole group has always been very welcoming,
accepting and generous with everyone.”
Archangel gold blackwing pigeon.Photograph: George de la Nuez
The Islamic State
recently imprisoned 15 pigeon owners in Diyala, Iraq, for a hobby they deemed
“un-Islamic” (three are said to have been executed). Some pigeon breeders may
feed their birds around the same time devout Muslims hold their first of five
daily prayers, an activity that has prompted clerics to issue fatwas against
them.
Shaheed recently
completed significant updates to the club website and participates in outreach
to the young community. He hopes the pigeon hobby can give young people some
distance from technology and bring them closer to nature. “I’m kind of an
oddball in the group because I let my pigeons mate with whoever they want,” said
Shaheed. “In the wild, pigeons mate for life.”
John DeCarlo Jr, 36, a
third-generation pigeon fancier and a real estate developer in Gilroy,
California, enjoys sharing the hobby with his 13-year-old son.
“It broadens your mind
and teaches responsibility because you have to care for and keep something
alive,” said DeCarlo. He says his son still plays video games, but he takes care
of his birds too.
A frillback pigeon.Photograph: George De La Nuez
Not all modern kids
are as willing to put aside the immediate gratification of their devices to put
in the several years it may take to raise champion fancy pigeons. Chuck Zeller
described a scene at a show in San Bernadino where a child was interested in
buying two pigeons to get started. Fancy pigeons cost anywhere between a few
dollars and a few thousand dollars, depending on the show value of its specific
traits. Zeller says the child asked: “How much do the pigeons that I can win the
next show with cost?”
“I nearly fell to the
floor in shock,” said Zeller. “All he cared about was winning.”
Zeller acknowledges
that lack of commitment isn’t the only factor holding today’s youth back from
taking up the hobby. Keeping pigeons is now illegal in many places due to city
ordinances. Before 1965, Zeller says he could find over a hundred people raising
pigeons in a five-mile radius. When the neighbors complained and Zeller was
taken to court to defend his hobby, he pointed out that even the mayor at the
time was keeping illegal pigeons.
This won’t stop most
fanciers from pursuing their dreams. The compassion and acceptance of diversity
that so many pigeon fanciers embody creates unity and solidifies their passion
for the hobby. As pigeon fancier Bob Nolan puts it: “When you meet someone else
who loves pigeons, you’re friends for life.”
