THE HISTORY OF THE BELGIAN RACE PIGEONS

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The history of pigeons doesn't teach us anything about the kind of pigeon that was used many
centuries ago. There is a lot of speculation about the origin of the modern race pigeon. Breeding
pigeons began centuries ago, we can admire pigeons on the paintings of old masters.

Everyone agrees that the rock doves (Columba Livia) are

the ancestors of all domesticated birds we call today pigeon.
Until today the rock dove has its home in the Mediterranean
area. The demonstrative affection, the external
characteristics and the way a rock dove flies shows many
similarities to our domesticated doves.

The evolution that leads to changes in organs and frame takes many years, even more than 200
years from the time that modern pigeon history is being written. About 200 years ago, the
ordinary

Jacobins, Tumblers,

Croppers, English Carriers,High-Flying pigeons and Dragoons were used to race back to their
home loft.
 From 1800 we get a better
insight in the development of
race pigeons. Breeding race
pigeons began in Antwerp,
Brussels, Ghent and Liege with
the crossing of different species.
The most important species used
to come to the modern race-
pigeon were

the Antwerp Smierel, a very old

the English Carrier,
Belgian specie,

In 1810 Ghent
organised races from
Bruges,Lille(France)
and Antwerp. In 1815
a cropper raced to it's
home loft from Tours
(France). Ghent
natives preferred the
the Old Camulet, the Dragoon, little croppers. In 1820,
rich Ghent fanciers
bought many Liege
pigeons,only short-
beaks with a jabot,
and crossed them with
their own pigeons. The
success of those
breeds proved it on
the races.

the Cropper and the extinct Horseman.

Liege had little black birds with
a short beak, dark eyes, a
jabot on their chest and a solid
frame.

Ancestors
of the
Liege
pigeons
were
probably and the
the Platneusduif.
French
Turbit,
also
called the
Cravaté
,

They are birds with a regular velocity, not to fast, but with a perseverance for reaching their
home loft. It is a bird that is very attached to it's loft. The Liege pigeon is extremely efficient for
long distance races. In 1810, after a race from Paris four of those birds reached their home loft
first in a race from Lyon. Those doves are the founders of the Liege pigeon.

The "pigeon-town" was Antwerp. In 1800, Antwerp natives organised races with smierels and
little croppers. The crossing of tumblers, smierels and little croppers gave good results.

Fanciers got better results when crossing tumblers and little black pigeons from Liege. The
results of such breed were very good for the short distance races.
The crossing of the English carrier, a carrier of the old type, with the Liege pigeon, has given the
best results for the long distance races.

Pigeons of those breeds, mentioned above, crossed with tumblers

created the Antwerp race pigeon. It was a bird with a strong stature, a
good body and a proud carriage. Other characteristics were a long
head with well developed wings of the nose and eyes of different
colors, from chestnut brown to almost white. At that time, these were
the pigeons with the fastest velocity.
We still find the little compact short beaks with a jabot in 1925, which do remind us of the little
black pigeons of Liege. There were also still the bigger and longer species which are clearly
descendants of the Antwerp pigeon. Until today we have pigeons with a jabot and long feathers
on their paws like croppers. The tumble of the young pigeons shows the relationship to the
tumblers.

The described crossings give an idea of the enormous work it has been to come to the present
race pigeon. The fanciers of 2 centuries ago had a tenacity and were gifted to breed pigeons.
They are the founders of the modern race pigeons.

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