Pigeon breeds/varieties

There are several varieties of domestic pigeons each having unique characteristics. A broad classification would be like this:

• Fancy Pigeons: These are non-performing pigeons which are kept as show birds like love birds, parrots etc,. There are several varieties of fancy pigeons.All of them are interesting in looks. They do not have strong homing instincts like homer pigeons nor do they have capability to fly for long hours. In fact many of them can not even fly. These are kept for their unique looks by the fanciers. I don't think there are races for these pigeons.
  

• Homer Pigeons: These pigeons have strong homing capability and they can return to their loft even from 100s of kms away. The homer pigeons are mostly bigger in size with strongly built body. They feed on bigger size grains. Homer pigeons are the widely breed ones in Europe and US. There are several clubs for homer races that are operated in a very professional manners.

• Tumblers/Rollers: These pigeons have the following unique characteristics: a) They can fly very high compared to homers. They fly so high that they become invisible to naked eyes. While flying they can do somersaults in air. They do somersault multiple time continuously. This is very unique character of rollers. They have very bad homing instincts and cannot return back home from just few kilometers distance. They fly close to their loft (within 2kms radius). Tumblers are more common in Asia and middle east.

• Tipplers: Tipplers pigeon's unique characteristics is the capability to fly for long duration. They can fly continuously for more than 20 hours based on the climatic conditions. They don't do somersaults like rollers. They have better homing insticts than Tumblers and can return from distances upto 10 kms. Tipplers are more common in Asia and middle east.