What Do Leg Bands Mean?

Starving, lost pigeon racing survivor, now named Woot, found help & 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. 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.

Various bands removed from rescued birds, the biggest from King pigeons used as breeders for squab, the medium sized are mostly from rescued racing pigeons and the smallest from rescued rollers.

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 & giant pigeon size & 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.

Rescued pigeon racing survivor Clive has both a coded green racing band & a purple clip on band

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.

Clive’s racing band removed (this is his ID number, not his hatch year)

Pigeon racing is a cruel & deadly “sport”. Click this photo to learn more.

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.

Note the untraceable orange spiral band on this rescued King pigeon’s leg

Dumped & rescued King pigeon in the shelter with 2 untraceable yellow spiral bands

Some pigeon-keeping traditions include bells & “jewelry”

Rescued pigeon Pick wearing his Palomacy band

Pigeon racing casualty’s band says, No mercy

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

If you feel like you have to contact the person who raced or rented out the bird you’ve rescued, please keep in mind that the hawks, cats, raccoons, dogs, cars, starvation, etc. that kill these birds don’t notify anybody. They just kill the birds, something pigeon sport and business people are comfortable with. It is expected. These birds are disposable to them. If a lost, starving and/or injured racing pigeon or “dove release” homer or roller is lucky enough to get rescued alive (most that get lost or hurt die alone, unhelped), they should be lucky enough to get a good, non-exploitive home. Also, most of the time, the banded birds aren’t claimed (because they aren’t wanted). Some racers will call back and tell you to give the pigeon food and water for a couple of days and then let it go as “it will continue the trip home” but the odds of the lost, weakened pigeon actually making it home alone are poor. It’s just something racers tell people so the “problem” is handled.

Banding Pet Pigeons (and Doves)

Pet pigeons should not be out flying around loose. Domestic pigeons and doves are easy targets for all kinds of predators and most who are allowed to free fly are eventually killed or lost as a result. Even a feral pigeon kept as a pet shouldn’t be out loose because, without the security and wisdom of a wild flock, they too are at high risk of being killed. After 12 years of full time pigeon rescuing, I can’t tell you how many sad stories I have heard that start with, “I used to have a pigeon…” You can give your pet pigeons a better chance of getting helped and home, if they ever get out or lost, by banding them with a rescue/pet type band. Palomacy is now banding all of our rescued birds with bright blue split aluminum bands that say PIGEONRESCUE.ORG to do exactly that. You can order our bands for your birds right here or you can order your own custom bands. We get ours from www.BirdBands.com

Rescued pet Ringneck dove Lily both wearing & contemplating Palomacy bands

Palomacy has commissioned these light blue split aluminum leg bands engraved with PIGEONRESCUE.ORG as an affordable way to help improve a lost pet pigeon or dove’s likelihood of being helped & getting home. If someone finds your bird, the band directs them to our Palomacy website.

The light blue aluminum shows up well on their pink legs, makes them recognizable as a pet rather than wild bird (so more apt to get help) & when found, improves their chances of getting home safely. If your Palomacy-banded bird is ever lost, notify us immediately for help & if we ever learn of a Palomacy-banded bird being found, we’ll be looking for their person.

CLICK THIS IMAGE TO ORDER PALOMACY LEG BANDS 

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.

Heavy duty cuticle nippers safely cut through most bands

Some bands are brass and too hard to cut off or a band can be too tight and need avian vet assistance to remove. They use dremels (carefully!) or specially designed bird band cutters. If a bird injures their leg, the swelling can cause the band to cut off circulation and it must be expertly removed as soon as possible or they can lose the foot.

Injured, swollen leg from which this racing band must be removed ASAP

Stranded Banded Pigeons Need Help

And Palomacy is here to help you help them. Please join and post to our Palomacy Help Group for fast help any time or email us. Rescued Scandaroon pigeon Shakespeare, found stray and too weak to fly and now happy, safe and loved, says, I’m so glad I got help, thank you!

Appreciate the work Palomacy does for pigeons & doves? Please support us with a donation if you can.

Donate online to Palomacy Pigeon & Dove Adoptions

Support Palomacy as a monthly donor (receive a full color Palomacy wall calendar every year as our thank you!)

Send a check made out to “CI – Palomacy” to Palomacy’s new address
P.O. Box 24585, SF, CA 94124