Homing Pigeons: What They Are, Where They Came From and What They Need
A homing pigeon is a domestic rock pigeon bred for one remarkable skill: finding its way back to the loft it knows. Before you keep one, it helps to understand where the breed came from, how pigeons live, and what daily care they need.
In This Guide
You open the loft door, and within seconds a pair of gray-checkered birds lands on the landing board, walks straight to their nest box and settles in. They left this morning. They came back on their own.
That homing instinct is the reason people have kept these birds for centuries. It is also easy to romanticize.
This guide explains what a homing pigeon really is, how it lives, and what it takes to care for one well, whether or not you ever race it.
What exactly is a homing pigeon?
A homing pigeon is a domestic form of the rock pigeon, Columba livia, the same species as the feral pigeons found in cities. It is not a separate wild species. What sets it apart is selective breeding for returning to a familiar home loft, and the "racing homer" is the breed developed for competition.
Biologists Michael Shapiro and Eric Domyan note that more than 350 domestic pigeon breeds are recognized today, from show breeds with elaborate feathers to performing and flying breeds. Many look nothing like a racing homer, yet all of them trace back to the rock pigeon. As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes, Charles Darwin, who began breeding pigeons himself in 1856, considered the evidence for that single origin unusually clear.
"Homing" describes an ability that is learned and trained around one specific loft, not a guarantee. A pigeon taken far from a place it knows, or released in bad weather, may not make it back.
Where did racing homers come from?
People have lived alongside pigeons for a very long time. According to Shapiro and Domyan, ancient Egyptians used pigeons at least 4,000 years ago, and rock pigeons were probably domesticated more than once, in different places.
The racing homer itself is recent. It arose in Belgium and England in the early 1800s from crosses of several older breeds, and the two lines were later crossed with each other. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes that these birds were originally used to carry messages as well as to race.
Racing homers have also left a mark on city pigeons. Genetic evidence summarized by Shapiro and Domyan suggests that lost or released racing homers are a major contributor to some North American feral populations, which have existed for more than 400 years.
How do pigeons live, pair and raise young?
Pigeons are social birds that form pairs and share parenting. Cornell's life-history data for the rock pigeon list a clutch of 1 to 3 eggs, an incubation period of about 18 days and a nestling period of 25 to 32 days. A pair can raise several broods in a single season.
One unusual trait: both parents feed their chicks "crop milk," a nutrient-rich secretion produced in the lining of the crop. That is why squabs grow so fast, and also why some infections, such as the parasite that causes canker, pass easily from parents to young.
Because pigeons breed readily, any loft needs a plan from the start. Decide how many birds you can house and care for over their whole lives, and ask an experienced keeper or avian veterinarian how to manage breeding responsibly.
What does a homing pigeon need every day?
The basics are simple to list and take real commitment to deliver:
- Dry, well-ventilated housing: a loft or large enclosure that keeps out rain, drafts and predators while letting stale, dusty air escape.
- A grain-based diet and clean water: pigeon feed mixes from a feed store, with clean drinking water always available.
- A chance to bathe: healthy pigeons bathe often, and the rescue group Palomacy notes that a pigeon that stops bathing may be unwell.
- Company: pigeons are flock birds. Palomacy advises against keeping a single pigeon alone outdoors.
- Daily observation: look at posture, breathing, droppings and appetite every day so you notice changes early.
Arrange access to a veterinarian who treats birds before you bring pigeons home. The CDC recommends taking a new bird to an avian veterinarian within a few days of getting it, then keeping up routine checkups. Many general practices do not see pigeons, so it is worth checking in advance.
Can a homing pigeon be a pet without racing?
Yes. Racing is a sport, not a requirement for a good life. Palomacy, a pigeon rescue organization, says domestic pigeons can do well indoors as family pets. As a minimum, it suggests a cage about 42 inches wide, 27 inches deep and 30 inches high for one or two compatible pigeons, with a flat, easy-to-clean floor, shelves rather than only perches, and a nest box. If cats or dogs can reach the cage, bar spacing should be no wider than half an inch.
Never "set free" a pet pigeon. Domestic pigeons depend on people and their flock for safety. Palomacy warns that a lone domestic pigeon released outdoors is in serious danger from predators and is unlikely to survive.
Also check local rules before you start. Many cities and homeowners' associations regulate the keeping of birds, the size of outdoor structures and nuisance issues such as noise and odor.
Are there health risks for the people who keep them?
A few, and they are manageable with good hygiene. The CDC lists psittacosis among the diseases pet birds can spread. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that pigeons can carry Chlamydia psittaci, often showing signs less often than parrots, and that the organism spreads in airborne dust from dried droppings and respiratory discharge.
Pigeon dust can also cause an allergic lung disease in some people, known as bird fancier's lung or pigeon breeder's lung. A 2014 case report in the American Journal of Case Reports cites estimates that it affects between 0.5% and 22% of pigeon breeders, triggered by proteins in droppings and the fine "bloom" on feathers.
The CDC advises washing your hands with soap and water after handling birds or their equipment, and not cleaning cages or supplies in the kitchen sink. If you develop a persistent cough, breathlessness or flu-like symptoms, tell your doctor that you keep pigeons.
Continue exploring in our Care & Housing, Nutrition and Health & Welfare sections.
The bottom line
A homing pigeon is a domestic rock pigeon bred to return to a loft it knows, not a wild bird and not a guaranteed navigator. Racing homers are a young breed, developed in Belgium and England in the early 1800s, within a species that people have kept for thousands of years. They need dry, ventilated housing, a grain-based diet, clean water, a bath, company and an avian veterinarian, whether or not they ever race.
Before you get your first birds, find a veterinarian who sees pigeons and check your local rules on keeping birds.
Sources & further reading
- Shapiro & Domyan (2013), Domestic pigeons, Current Biology
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Darwin's Other Bird, the Domestic Pigeon
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Rock Pigeon Life History
- Palomacy: How to Care for a Rescued Pet Pigeon
- CDC: Birds and Healthy Pets
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Avian Chlamydiosis
- Cooper et al. (2014), Bird fanciers' lung, American Journal of Case Reports