Archangel Pigeon – A Tremendous Looking Pigeon as a Pet

There are a lot of people that claim that the Archangel Pigeon is one of the most beautiful pigeons in the world. It is hard to argue with that.

This is a pigeon that has clearly been bred for show purposes. Let’s take a little look at it in more depth, shall we?

Where Do Archangel Pigeons Come From?

Because this breed is so old, it is almost impossible for us to know where the Archangel pigeon originated from.

Most people believe that it originated from the area now occupied by Croatia, or at least in the Balkan region.

This is something that would have happened centuries ago i.e. before anybody even bothered to keep records of their pigeon breeding.

What we do know, however, is that the Archangel PIgeon has recently been bred extensively in both the UK and Germany, with the UK focusing on one specific color, and Germany developing the rest of them.

The Look of the Archangel Pigeon

The Archangel Pigeon is a small to medium breed of bird. When fully grown, they will reach about 0.9 lbs. (400 grams) in weight.

The way that the Archangel Pigeon looks is the reason why it is used as a show bird. It stands regal. It is very tall and proud. The rounded head makes it a stunning looking bird.

Of course, the real highlight of the bird is the way that the feathers look. The feathers can come in a variety of different colors (in some countries), but they are all going to look metallic.

They will have a little bit of a shine to them. This is the only pigeon breed that looks like that.

There are two potential body colors for this bird:

• Bronze
• Gold

There are three potential colors for the wings:

• Black
• White
• Blue

As a Show Pigeon

The main reason why the Archangel Pigeon is bred nowadays is as a show bird. Although, what is classed as an Archangel Pigeon does differ from country to country.

Remember those color variations that we mentioned previously? Most of those color variations are only recognized in the United States.

If you go to the United Kingdom or Germany, then these pigeons will not be classed as Archangel Pigeons and thus cannot be entered into shows as an Archangel Pigeon.

For example, in the United Kingdom, only the black and copper color combination of the bird is regarded as an Archangel Pigeon.

In the United States, while the Archangel Pigeon breeding organization is small, they run a _lot _of shows each year, and they heavily promote the breed.

As a result, this is a bird that is not going to be disappearing any time soon. In fact, it is regarded as one of the more common pigeon breeds now.

This is how most people that own the Archangel Pigeon will make their money.

Since the main purpose of owning this pigeon is to enter it into shows, the breeders will be constantly refining their bird breed. The intention is to enter it into competitions and to sell the offspring to other breeders.

Thankfully, this is one of the easier pigeons to breed, so it isn’t that much of an issue.

The Archangel Pigeon as a Pet

If you are not planning on entering breeding shows with the Archangel Pigeon, you will be pleased to know that it makes a tremendous pet.

For the most part, with the right care, these pigeons are long-lived in comparison to other breeds.

Since they are a smaller breed, they do not consume as much food either. This makes them cheaper and easier to feed. The small size also means that they will not require a massive enclosure to live in.

The real highlight of this bird, however, is the fact that they are incredibly friendly.

This is a bird that will easily eat out of your hand or ‘relax’ with you if you raise it from a hatchling. However, even the adult birds are known to be friendly with humans.

The adult birds may take a bit of warming up to you, but there will be absolutely no aggression there. This means that they are brilliant as a first pigeon for a family.

Breeding the Archangel Pigeon

Breeding the Archangel Pigeon should be fairly simple. They have no real health issues, and the pigeons have a good fertilization rate. Most of the eggs, when the female has a ‘mate’ will end up being fertilized and ultimately hatching.

The only real difficulty with breeding the Archangel is that it is a show-centric breed. If you are planning on breeding, then you will probably be entering shows.

However, only a few of the pigeons that you produce will even come close to show quality. The result? You will be left with a lot of useless pigeons. We suppose that you can use them for other purposes, but that still requires a bit of effort.

Other Purposes

While we are sure that there are some people out there that have raised the Archangel Pigeon for meat and eggs, although, this is unlikely to happen now.

Not only is pigeon meat and eggs not consumed all that heavily in most countries now, but the people that do want meat and eggs from their bird will also probably be picking up a much better breed for that.

There are a few people that will use the Archangel as a racing pigeon. However, it isn’t really a fast enough breed to be properly viable there.

If it is used for this purpose, it is probably going to be more for a bit of fun as opposed to any sort of serious competition with the bird.

Conclusion

This pigeon breed is a tremendous looking bird. If you are looking for a beautiful pigeon to enter into shows, or want a bird that is great to raise as a pet, then the Archangel may be a great choice for you to consider.

More pigeon breeds you might want to check:
– Lahore pigeon
– Fantail pigeon
– Roller pigeons
– Baby pigeons