WHITE DOVE RELEASE BIRDS

WHITE DOVES & PIGEONS

White homing pigeons are larger and stronger than the white ring neck doves, which you can purchase in most pet shops. A white homing pigeon weighs about a pound. You can easily hold a white ring neck dove in one hand; you need two hands to hold a white homing pigeon.

Homing pigeons come in different colors. White homing pigeons have been selectively bred over the centuries for their color and homing instinct.

Not all pigeons have a homing instinct, the capacity to find their way home. For example the common street pigeons or feral pigeons we see in our cities do not have a highly developed homing instinct.

You can train white homing pigeons to return home because they have a built-in "homing instinct". Some homing pigeons can find their way home as far as 1,000 miles from their loft. White homing pigeons generally can find their way home within 50 miles of their loft; exceptional white homing pigeons can return to their loft from 200 miles.

You cannot train white ring neck doves to return home because they do not have a "homing instinct". White ring neck doves cannot fly more than a few feet away or fend for themselves. If released outdoors, white ring neck doves try to run free but they can easily fall pray to cats and hawks and may be hit by cars. This is not something you want to see at a dignified wedding or memorial service. Therefore, we urge the public not to use white ring neck doves for dove releases. You should only use trained white homing pigeons for dove releases. They are bigger, stronger, more visual, and they know how to fly home.

Homing pigeons are gifted with a superior eye site and memory that helps them find and remember landmarks such as rivers, lakes, mountains, and building structures. Unlike humans, they have the advantage of a "bird's eye view" that helps them recognize landmarks as far as their eyes can see!

Homing pigeons need sunlight to navigate. Unlike owls and bats, they cannot see or fly at night to find their way home.

Like most birds, homing pigeons cannot navigate in inclement weather conditions such as heavy rain storms. A bright sunny day provides the best conditions for a dove release.