How Does Pigeon Racing Work?

Animal racing is a common pastime among many cultures. Countless followers of horse races get dolled up in their Sunday best annually to attend the Kentucky Derby. And dog lovers everywhere have been cheering on greyhounds since the first greyhound race was held in England in 1776.

But not as many people know about the sport of pigeon racing. While it doesn't garner national TV coverage, nor generate millions of dollars in sponsorships, it still provides bragging rights and financial rewards to pigeon enthusiasts everywhere.

The objective of pigeon racing is quite simple: Pigeons are transported from their lofts to a specific location and then freed to race back home. The time it takes the bird to fly home coupled with the distance it has to travel, are recorded. The bird with the fastest time wins.

Men (98 percent of pigeon racers are male) have been training and racing pigeons throughout history. Pigeons carried around messages for the ancient Egyptians and also for soldiers during World Wars I and II. The form of modern day pigeon racing started in Belgium in 1850 and Americans were introduced to the sport around 1875.

Homing pigeons are the breed that competes in pigeon races. Also called domesticated rock pigeons, they're known for their sense of direction and their ability to instinctively find their way back home -- even after being released hundreds of miles away. Scientists believe the birds use the position of the sun and the earth's magnetic fields as a compass to travel back to their home roosts. Sometimes they also use their keen sense of smell or recall familiar landmarks along the way.

Pigeons are trained to race at a very young age. When a "homer" is just 10 days old, its owner attaches a band with a number identifying the bird to its leg. The band stays attached to the bird for life.

Prior to the race, a band with a tiny radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, is placed on the bird's second leg that registers the band number on the first leg. On race day, all of the pigeons are taken to one location -- known as the liberation point -- and released at the same time. The owners check to make sure it's a clear day, that the winds aren't too high and that there's no rain. These conditions will force them to call off a race. At the crack of dawn, the birds are released to fly back to their home coops.

On average, birds can cover between 100 and 600 miles flying through multiple states. The older pigeons can cover 600 miles in about 14 hours. When the racer arrives back to its loft, the RFID chip is scanned and read by an electronic clock. The time it takes the bird to travel from its starting point to its individual coop is calculated and matched against all its competitors.

The bird with the highest velocity (the distance flown divided by the time taken to complete the course) wins. A winning bird can generate hundreds or thousands of dollars for its owner, depending on the race. However, sometimes there are casualties in pigeon racing. It's not uncommon for pigeon fanciers to lose a few birds to hawks or electric wires. Racing birds retire after they are five years old and then go on to become breeders.

Pigeon racing is not without controversy. Racing is banned in Chicago and some animal rights activists are trying to get it banned nationwide because they don't agree with the training methods. They're concerned that many pigeons are taught to fly home with great urgency because they're separated from their young and only see them after a training flight or race. Activists also worry that cell phone towers interfere with the pigeon's ability to find its way home and will ultimately lead to losses and deaths.

But these concerns don't stop fanciers from breeding, training and racing their birds. In fact, in the United States, pigeon racing has gained some momentum over the last decade readily greeted by a new generation of fanciers who are willing to try their hand at keeping an old tradition alive.