If a banded pigeon is hanging around or catchable, they need to be rescued.
Starving, lost pigeon racing survivor, now
named Woot, found help and love...
The vast majority of pigeons with leg bands are domestic birds, unable to
survive on their own, that are bred, sold, exploited and endangered for
“sports” such as racing and roller flying and businesses such as “dove
release“. If a banded pigeon is hanging around or catchable, they need to be
rescued.
The information on most banded pigeons is coded and only intended to record
“winners”, not to recover “losers” which are what the lost, starving,
injured leg-band-wearing pigeons are considered to be. If returned to those
who endanger them, they are more often than not culled for being both a
failure and a threat to the other pigeons’ health and bloodlines. Pigeons
used for sports and business are treated as disposable. As soon as one gets
lost, hurt, blown off course, hawk-struck, etc., they are worthless and
unwanted. Pigeon breeders pride themselves on their tough culling (killing,
selling, rejecting) of “inferior” birds. They will kill a weak or runty baby
pigeon in the nest. They expect to lose many young birds in their training
flights and many more in the competitions (“let the basket cull for you”).
Many kill the pigeons themselves and/or sell “surplus” pigeons to be used
for “dog training, falconry, target practice, meat, whatever”, as they say
in their online ads.
Pigeon racing survivor found grounded, too weak to fly, lucky to be
taken to a shelter...
Pet pigeons are sometimes banded with just a phone number or, as with Palomacy’s bands, “PIGEONRESCUE.ORG” so as to truly help the lost bird get home. You can order our bands here or find vendors who will customize bands for you. (We use www.BirdBands.com) Some bands are just untraceable plastic clip ons in various colors or with a two digit number and are used just to help differentiate birds within an owner’s flock.
Rescued racer Finn with his racing band removed, Palomacy band put on...
Palomacy PIGEONRESCUE.ORG bands are inexpensive, easy to use, come in dove,
pigeon and giant pigeon size and can help your lost bird get expert help ASAP...
Should I Return a Banded Pigeon?
It depends. Pigeon rescuers have learned the hard way that it is better to
provide a safe, non-exploitive home for rescued sport/business pigeons than
to return them to their exploiters. If you find a pigeon whose band says
“pet” or “rescue” or has a name or phone number, the odds are more likely
that the bird could be returned safely but not always. White Homers, bred,
used and lost for the “dove release” business sometimes have phone number
bands and returning them is no favor to the bird. You don’t have to figure
it out alone. If you find a banded pigeon, please join our Palomacy Help
Group and post a photo for quick help. We can help you to care for the bird
you’ve rescued and/or to find help. Usually, when a pet pigeon is lost,
their person looks for them, posting on craigslist, Nextdoor, social media,
lost and found sites, contacting local rescues, etc. and whenever we are
contacted for help with a lost pigeon, we do our best to help them get home.
(Learn about how to find your lost pigeon here.) People who use their
pigeons for sport and business never contact us looking for lost birds. They
don’t want lost birds.
Sport bands are coded with the club’s name, the bird’s hatch year and the bird’s ID number. They are designed to record who wins, not help those lost.
Some pigeons are banded with clip ons that are blank or have just a two digit number. Those bands are used more on “meat pigeons” like Kings (who never get out of their breeding coop except on the way to the butcher) or by hobbyists. They aren’t traceable at all.
Racers will likely be culled for being “losers” who didn’t make it home
quickly. Look closely at this band – it reads “No Mercy.” This was Anna, a
lost racer who arrived in respiratory distress, was treated and given O2,
and unfortunately could not beat her infection. This is the sort of thing
(along with injury and starvation) that I see commonly happen to these
birds. I’ve been criticized for not taking the time to track people down and
ask if they want their bird. Anyone who thinks they deserve to go back to
where they came from is welcome to look up all the bands I’ve saved and tell
the owners how their birds suffered and died – and see if they want to pay
their vet bills. I’m too busy cleaning, feeding, treating, and trying to
save their lives.
~ Pigeon & Dove Rescuer
Removing Bands
Many bands are clip on and can be opened and removed. “Closed” bands,
slipped on to the feet of pigeons used in sports like racing, rolling, etc.
are slipped on over the bird’s foot when just a baby and once grown, can
only be removed by cutting them off. Closed bands can be carefully cut
through with heavy duty cuticle nippers. They have narrow, one-sided blades
that are slender and safe enough to slide between band and leg and also
strong enough to cut/crunch through most metal and plastic bands with a
couple of cuts.
To buy pigeon leg bands or get more information, visit Palomacy: It's Pigeon Diplomacy.