Recommended Readings & DVDs: Pigeons / Doves & Care and Management*

Pigeon Racing: Secrets of Champions

Two years after completing his epic "Share the Blue Sky", award-winning film producer Jim Jenner is back with a new film for pigeon racers.

Called "Secrets of Champions: The Foundation of Victory", the new two hour movie is a departure from Jenner’s previous works, which have been general interest documentaries about pigeons and the people who enjoy caring for them throughout the world.

Winners come and go. But a handful of pigeon fanciers magically win for decades. How do these great trainers stay on top in the toughest competition in the world? Ronnie Williamson, Frank Tasker, Ad Schaerlaeckens, Geoff Kirkland and others share their secrets.

This film lets you hear what great trainers think you need to be a good manager. They tell you where and when to buy foundation stock. They share what they look for in breeders and the principles of balance and form. They talk about the vital element of motivation and the incredible secret of "The Throat".

Using specialized micro-cameras, animated graphics and a highly entertaining documenary style, award-winning film-maker Jim Jenner shows you the inside story of the world's greatest pigeon racers.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Pigeon Racing: Secrets of Champions II

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Share the Blue Sky - Stories of the Bird of Peace

Collector's Edition is over five hours on 3 DVD's. Twenty individual stories, filmed on five continents and 19 countries, make up this award-winning television series. Acclaimed Writer/Director Jim Jenner takes you on a fascinating journey through the world of the pigeons and doves. "Share the Blue Sky" is the longest, most comprehensive documentary ever made on this family of birds, long recognized as mankind's oldest feathered friend.

The World of Pigeons

A pair of Jim Jenner’s classic pigeon documentaries are combined on this DVD, plus you’ll find a host of additional Special Features on the making of these films, capturing aerial footage of birds in flight and a color photo gallery of pigeon breeds.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Extraordinary Pigeons

Amazing photography!

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Doves (Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

Doves (A Complete Pet Owner's Manual)

Special attention is given to breeding, caging, and maintaining the health of these beautiful birds. Advice is included on how to raise doves anywhere from rural areas to crowded urban neighborhoods. Over 30 beautiful, full-color photos.

Ringneck Doves: A Handbook of Care and Breeding

Doves (Hardcover)

Racing Pigeons [illustrated]

Recommended to anyone who has an interest in learning more about raising and racing pigeons, beginner to seasoned fancier. Lots of great photos / illustrations and very useful information.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird by Andrew D. Blechman

Pigeons—gregarious, easily domesticated and capable of flying for hours at speeds of more than 100 mph—are interesting in their own right, but Blechman writes not so much about the birds themselves as about the people who either love or hate them. These include members of a New York City homing pigeon club who dedicate themselves to raising and racing pigeons; Queen Elizabeth's royal pigeon handler; breeders who spend years perfecting champion birds for show; gun enthusiasts who participate in brutal live pigeon shoots. Many of these people are eccentric, and while Blechman's book won't convert pigeon haters to pigeon lovers, it does make for entertaining reading.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Pigeons (Hardcover)

Booklist, ALA : "This informative book offers a well-researched and readable text illustrated with clear, full-color photographs. This excellent addition to science collections will make readers come away with a new respect for this common bird."

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Pigeons (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) (Paperback)

More than 150 titles in Barron’s Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals series offer basic advice and instruction on housing, feeding, protection against disease and parasites, and caring for pets of every imaginable kind. All books are heavily illustrated with color photos and instructive line art. Here is everything bird fanciers need to know about keeping pigeons, including feeding, housing, protection against parasites, general health care, and breeding. There is also information on various members of the pigeon family, and on breeding pigeons for racing.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (NOTE, more of interest to the Beginner than to the seasoned Pigeon Fancier)

Pigeon House Plans

Pigeon Deterrent Bird Spikes