You can think of roller pigeons as an evolution of tumbler pigeons. As you may well know, tumbler pigeons have been bred to tumble in the air. However, they can only do this once or twice in a series of rolls. A roller pigeon takes this to the next level. They can tumble a lot in rapid succession.
Because it is far, far harder to develop this breed of pigeon, there are not actually that many around. In fact, there are only four real breeds of rolling pigeons. We are going to cover each of them on this page.
It is worth noting that the reason why it is so hard to develop rolling pigeons is that we do not actually know why these birds actually roll about in the air.
This is due to the way in which their brains are wired and it is very hard to target this part of their brain. It is hard enough getting a pigeon that is going to be able to roll a couple of times in the air.
It is even more difficult attempting to get a pigeon that will do it several times in succession. Therefore, we do not expect that this list of roller pigeon breeds is going to get added to any time soon.
Birmingham Roller
The Birmingham Roller Pigeon originates from England. In fact, as the name suggests, it comes from Birmingham. It is actually one of the more popular roller pigeons on this list.
The Birmingham Roller’s coloring is very similar to that of the Rock Pigeon. So, you can clearly tell that the main reason why this breed was developed was for those rolling aspects as opposed to just being another beautiful bird.
Although, don’t get me wrong, this is still a bird that looks absolutely stunning when it is up there in the air.
One of the main reasons why the Birmingham Roller is such a popular roller pigeon is down to the fact that it looks stunning when it rolls.
It is so fast and ever so smooth. If you have a few Birmingham Roller pigeons flying in formation, then you are going to get an epic show.
There is a reason why there is over 10,000 known breeders of the Birmingham Roller in the world. if you want a roller pigeon, then this absolutely is going to be the one that you go for. There is nothing better out there.
Galatz Roller
The Galatz Roller is a rolling pigeon that originated in Romania. The way in which it moves through the air is very similar to the Birmingham Roller.
However, there are some that would argue that the Galatz Roller is a far, far more majestic breed of pigeon.
At least in terms of looks when it is stationary. When it comes to rolling, I would argue to the ends of the earth that the Birmingham Roller is still the better rolling pigeon.
This is a very short and stubby bird. One of the smallest around. The neck is short. The body is rather chunky, and you have some stubby legs that will support the Galatz Roller. This bird is available in a variety of different colors.
When the Galatz Roller is up there doing its acrobatic displays, you can expect it to spin around for about 30-minutes.
This is going to be more than enough for shows. However, the Galatz Roller is a bird that doesn’t have that much in the way of endurance.
This means that you probably wouldn’t want to have it out for too long. It is certainly going to be one of those harder pigeon breeds to actually train.
If you are looking for a pigeon breed that you can actually breed, then the Galatz Roller is the one for you.
Not only is the male mating signal a bit different from some of the other birds out there, this is a bird that does tend to breed like crazy. You can get a lot of these birds if you give the males and the females an opportunity to mate.
Oriental Roller
The Oriental Roller, as the name suggests, likely originates from somewhere in Asia. However, there doesn’t seem to be that much information on where it originally comes from.
The Oriental Roller has a sort of speckled look to the feathers. This bird is actually going to come in a lot of colors too. This means that it shouldn’t be that tricky to find a beautiful body that you love.
While the Oriental Roller can roll around just like the previous birds, this one is going to be more of a flyer.
While you would have to call the Galatz Roller back after about 30-minutes in the air, the Oriental Roller can keep going for hours.
Obviously, it is not going to be rolling the entire time that it is up there in the air, but it is certainly going to be soaring nice and beautifully.
In fact, while we are on the subject of soaring, the Oriental Roller is able to soar far higher than some of these other breeds too. This means that you can get some rather majestic displays if it decides to tumble while it is up nice and high.
Parlor Roller
The Parlor Roller is bred from the Parlor Tumbler. This actually gives you an idea as to how much of an impact breeding can have on the bird. While the Parlor Tumbler is not a brilliant flyer, it can fly.
The Parlor Roller can’t really fly at all. It is just going to roll about for a short while and that is that.
Actually, most Parlor Rollers cannot fly at all. If you go to a pigeon competition, the bird is not going to be judged on the beauty of its rolls in the air. it is going to be judged on how it rolls along the floor.
It is rolled almost like a ball along the floor, and the bird will be judged based on how far it rolls.
This bird does fly up until 4-months old, though. Then it just never flies again.
Where To Find Roller Pigeons For Sale?
If you’re looking for a particular breed of roller pigeon that is not available in your area, it’s time to consider an online purchase. There are many reputable sellers on the internet who produce quality roller pigeons at competitive prices and will ship them anywhere in the US.
Strombergs Chickens – They have been around for years and have very large selection of pigeons, you can find any type of pigeon you want on their website, from fancy show pigeons to racing, tumbler and rolling pigeons.
Birds Now – Birds Now is the another great place to find rolling pigeons for sale.
Craigslist – Craigslist is still the go-to place for sellers and buyers. If you’re looking to buy pigeons, then this site can be very helpful.