With the easy presentation of the artist Pablo Picasso after the Second World War, the dove became a symbol of peace, although even in antiquity these birds were the personification of purity and were considered messengers of God. Breeding work has led to the emergence of new decorative breeds, and in everyday life postal sizars are still used. You can talk a lot about these magnificent birds, but today our review presents the largest and most majestic pigeons in the world.
The largest pigeons on the planet:
1
Wandering Dove / Ectopistes migratorius
Our list on thebiggest.ru opens with a beautiful wandering pigeon that lived in the vastness of North America. Due to thoughtless hunting for wild birds, this species was completely exterminated.
The extinct pigeon with a large beak had an iridescent color of feathers. Black spots were placed on the neck and wings. Males grew up to 45 cm, females up to 40 cm in length. Females had gray plumage, not as bright as males.
Forest birds nested in deciduous forests in eastern North America. The last wandering dove in the wild was seen in 1901, and in 1914 the last representative of this breed, a dove named Martha, died in the Cincinnati Zoo.
2
Dutysh
A large pigeon of a special breed with a large goiter is especially popular with pigeon houses and breeders. All because of the unusual appearance.
For the first time, representatives of an unusual breed appear in the 16th century in the Netherlands and on the territory of modern Belgium. Spanish pigeon orchids dispute this version, since they believe that birds with unusual goiter appeared for the first time in Spain in the 14th century. But be that as it may, now it is one of the largest breeds.
A pear-shaped huge goiter smoothly passes into a spherical neck. In the world there are several types of datys, among which the Saddle Czech, Pomeranian and Great English are considered popular.
3
Roman giant
The breed, known back in ancient Rome, eventually spread throughout Europe. According to historians, it is this dove that was described by Pliny, whom he saw in Campania.
It is difficult to accurately identify the breeding line, since similar birds were bred in France. But in Italy, this dove is a celebrity. His images are carved on the columns of St. Peter's in the Vatican.
This is a very calm and peaceful bird. Modern varieties reach a weight of 1.3 kg, but there are also champions. In 1906, the Roman giant weighing 1.8 kg was presented at the exhibition.
By the way, on our site thebiggest.ru there is an interesting article about the largest birds of our planet.
4
King
Graham Manning / CC BY-SA
In the 1890s, US breeders bred a new breed of pigeons of very large sizes. Since then, they have been bred in two directions: as a meat breed and exhibition.
These birds have a solid physique, and proud posture adds to their impressiveness. The weight of adults reaches 1,100 kg. For exhibits, certain weight parameters are set. The bird should not weigh more than 1 kg, but not less than 850 gr.
One of the features of the breed is a variety of colors of plumage. There are monophonic white, black, yellow individuals are found, as well as unusual ashen and red ones.
5
Strasser
Čeština: wikipedista Utar z české WikipedieEnglish: Czech Wikipedia user Utar / CC BY-SA
As a result of many years of selection in Austria, an unusual breed of large pigeons was obtained. The basis was taken by the Modena and Florentine birds, and also added the genes of other European species.
The maximum weight of Strasser males reaches 1 kg, and on average their weight is from 800 to 900 g. A stocky bird reaches a length of 40 cm, stands out with a large head and wide chest. Due to its large size, flight performance was affected.
The main color is white, but on the body there may be blotches of various colors: blue, red, brown and pure black. Strassers have a nonliving disposition. The bird is pugnacious, restless. Maybe due to the fact that it flies badly?
6
Texans
In the mid-twentieth century, a new breed was bred in America, which was named after the name of the state of Texas. It was in this state that breeders worked.
The breed is distinguished by high fecundity. In one season, a pigeon pair is able to breed from 16 to 20 chicks. In born chicks, you can immediately determine the sex, which is impossible to do in other breeds. Adults reach 1 kg of weight, and grow to a length of 45–47 cm.
They have neat little wings, tightly pressed to the back. The plumage is variegated, but pure white individuals are also found. An unpretentious and very peaceful bird flies very well, but they like to move around the earth.
7
Monden
The French breed with a massive rounded body was bred by French breeders in the second half of the twentieth century. On a large head is a small short beak.
The plumage colors of birds are different, but black, gray, silver are more common. Pure white and ashy are especially appreciated. Modena weighs from 0.9 to 1.3 kg, and the body length reaches 47 cm. The average life expectancy is 15 years.
From France, the bird spread across the European continent, and even appeared in America. Despite the weight and size, they are excellent flyers, which is noted by almost all pigeons.
8
Modena pigeon
The beautiful and majestic large bird was first mentioned in written sources in 1327. Among breeders recognized as the only purely European breed of pigeons.
Modern species are slightly smaller than their historical ancestors. The structure of the body resembles chicken. Rounded body on massive legs. First of all, they surprise with their growth, reaching 18 cm.
The wings of the Modena are short and slightly raised, and the plumage can be of different colors. Motley individuals with a reddish tint occur, and there are ashen and even cream ones.
9
Jacobin
Pigeons are also called his wig pigeon, due to the characteristic plumage on his head. A peculiar crest is formed by vertically growing feathers.
From the magnificent collar, the pigeon does not see well what is happening around him. This feature limits the flight capabilities of a beautiful bird. They have a proud posture and breed them for exhibitions, where they often take all kinds of awards.
During the period of breeding offspring, birds cut their magnificent collar. Color can be white, variegated with small splashes. The Jacobins were brought into Russia in the 19th century, and they quickly gained recognition from the local pigeons.
10
Peacocks
The most popular decorative breed in the world, received its unusual name due to the shape of the tail. All varieties of this pigeon breed stand out with their chic tails.
In the luxurious tail, you can count up to 40 long feathers collected in a peacock fan. The integrity of the original image adds lush plumage on the legs. The appearance is really very similar to peacocks.
The breasts are proudly pushed forward, the crest is on the head, and the wings are beautifully folded along the massive rounded body. Due to the unusual appearance of these very birds, they are most often depicted on posters in the form of a dove of peace.
11
Bukhara
A breed with a long history, is now divided into several varieties. The decorative-flying breed is considered large, as adult individuals reach 40–43 cm in length and weigh up to 900 g.
There are varieties with curly plumage. They always return home no matter how far they are taken. This ability was used in antiquity for message delivery.
Among all breeds of flying pigeons, Bukhara residents are distinguished by a peculiar flight style. Easily rise to a height of 15 meters, and in flight can perform spectacular screw-like overturns. At the same time, they flop loudly with their powerful wings.
12
Barb
An unusual bird from a subset of warty pigeons causes controversy among breeders. But in recent years it has been recognized as a decorative breed.
The barbs have a characteristic convex forehead, and their short beak, which is uncharacteristic for pigeons, distinguishes them. It is easy to recognize them by skin growths around the eyes. These red circles are a kind of business card breed. Another feature is monotony. There are different colors, but always solid color and you will never find colorful plumage.
Unpretentious in content, but love cleanliness. At exhibitions, specialists closely examine the criteria of the breed, paying attention to the color and constitution of the body. They grow up to 36 cm in length, and weigh from 400 to 550 gr.
13
Gray
Orso della campagna e Papera dello stagno / Public domain
You can not pass by the most common species of pigeons, which can be found on all continents of the planet. Well, unless they are found in Antarctica.
In ancient times, man tamed this species, and now sisari peacefully coexist with people, freely settling in the city. For nesting, he selects coastal cliffs, mountain elevations, actively populates river coastlines. In the wild, cannot sit on tree branches. But the city sisari easily mastered this useful skill.
A rather large bird, growing up to 36 cm in length, and the wingspan reaches 58 cm. They are also long-livers. Some individuals at home can live up to 35 years.
14
On the pages of the Guinness Book
A Canadian pigeon named Doc Iack hit the pages of the highscore because of its weight. The largest pigeon on the planet weighs 1 kg 800 g. It is 60 times the weight of the smallest pigeon - a dwarf dove.
The owner of the Dock could not explain the non-standard parameters of his pet, because pigeons of this breed, albeit large, but never reached such a weight.
But experts unequivocally recognized the pigeon as the largest of the decorative breeds, since in the wild there is a larger species.
15
Crowned Doves / Goura
In the photo, a dove, which was first described in 1819 by the famous English entomologist James Stevens. In total, 3 species are found in the wild.
These beauties live on the islands of New Guinea and are the largest in a huge family of pigeons. They cannot be seen in the sky, since they lead a terrestrial way of life. They feed on fallen trees, fruits, berries, seeds of plants. Individuals living near rivers and ponds arrange snail hunting.
The forest inhabitants have a chic motley color, and a characteristic crown of feathers on their heads. Because of this, the species was called "crowned". They live a little more than 20 years, and often they can be found in zoos in the world.
By the way, do not miss the fascinating article about the largest zoos in the world on our site thebiggest.ru.
Summary
So we found out which pigeon is the largest in the world, where it lives and how it behaves in the wild. These wonderful birds have become an adornment of our lives, delighting us with their presence in city squares and streets. And once, delivering mail, they connected people's destinies, helped to deliver reports to the front line. A beautiful symbol of peace protecting the peace of our planet. Thebiggest.ru editors are waiting for your comments.