This pigeon portrait has not been manipulated, really !

She is just beautiful. Is she a regular at your place? Looks young.

She's stunning, Jaye.
Many thanks for sharing her with us. :Yes:

Sooooo pretty! Is that her mate? or just a friend?

She sure stands out in a flock.

She's lovely!
I've seen some really unusual colour and pattern combinations at my local park, one very similar to Splash. I'll try and find some photos.

Aha, here we are! In fact, they aren't just similar, they're almost exactly identical! :eek:

They sure do look alike, Teresa.

Aha ! I'll be sure to let her know her cousin lives in Portugal !!!!

WOW, Teresa really has found her twin there !
They are really pretty, I have a soft spot for white birds, they have a serene gentle look.

Funnily enough today I was watching what was a purely white flock I feed locally. I was wishing I'd had my camera with me as other banded and grey ferals etc have joined them now over time.
I was aware of some very unusal markings on some that have obviously been 'created' as a result of some pairings.
My oops babies look similar to your bird aswell. They are half blue bar homer and a white Roller. They've picked up around 50/50 from mum and dad.

Janet

This is the two of them with Bonnie another feral mix who obviously had a chequered parent.

WOW!! Your feral really is a mirror image of Jaye's feral, Teresa.

Jaye wrote:

Aha ! I'll be sure to let her know her cousin lives in Portugal !!!!

:That\\\'s so f

jamy wrote:

I just love these guys!

jamy wrote:

Beautiful ! :Yes:

They're beautiful, Janet!
I never get tired of admiring all the wonderful variety of colours and patterns that come from 'ooops' pairings!

PS. Today I saw one that was a check with blue bars!

Jaye wrote:

Was discussing this w\ one of the techs at my avian vet several weeks ago - when I was younger I never noticed that pigeons were really any color other than blue-band or checked (a very occasional Coral\Pink thrown in there). Seems nowadays they are coming in more colors and styles . Do you think that's so (as a result of escaped fancies, homers, rollers, and such that have now had their genes inherited\dispersed several times over) or is it just a matter of never having really observed them as closely before ? Last week on a re-release I spoke w\ a guy at the vicinty of where was releasing and he pointed out a n'hood regular to me - a feral with fully-feathered legs - he was sort of a blue band but in a 'faded' sorta blue hue

When I started doing rescue/rehab, 24 years ago, I couldn't imagine a color other than the grey Pigeons I had come to associate with ferals. In the early 1990's, I started noticing red Pigeons in the feral flocks and some white ones too. I really think the color combinations and size varrations we see today do have to do with lost Pigeons that have found refuge with feral flocks.

I'm sure you're right. My local flock is made up of a few Roller type pigeons aswell as occasional banded birds. Those don't seem to be around for that long though. I often wonder if they either fly off or maybe aren't as capable of adapting to life foraging for food and so don't survive as well.

Also I do wonder if some of the white birds we see now amongst these flocks are possibly lost wedding birds not properly trained to home.
I saw a dead one on the roof amongst this flock last week and went back at night to retrieve it. I wanted to make sure it hadn't been poisoned but it was emaciated and so obviously starving, poor little soul.

Janet

Jaye wrote:

Was discussing this w\ one of the techs at my avian vet several weeks ago -
when I was younger I never noticed that pigeons were really any color other than blue-band or checked (a very occasional Coral\Pink thrown in there). Seems nowadays they are coming in more colors and styles .

Do you think that's so (as a result of escaped fancies, homers, rollers, and such that have now had their genes inherited\dispersed several times over) or is it just a matter of never having really observed them as closely before ? Last week on a re-release I spoke w\ a guy at the vicinty of where was releasing and he pointed out a n'hood regular to me - a feral with fully-feathered legs - he was sort of a blue band but in a 'faded' sorta blue hue

I'm sure that's a lot of it, Jaye.

jamy wrote:

I'm sure you're right. My local flock is made up of a few Roller type pigeons aswell as occasional banded birds. Those don't seem to be around for that long though. I often wonder if they either fly off or maybe aren't as capable of adapting to life foraging for food and so don't survive as well.

Also I do wonder if some of the white birds we see now amongst these flocks are possibly lost wedding birds not properly trained to home.
I saw a dead one on the roof amongst this flock last week and went back at night to retrieve it. I wanted to make sure it hadn't been poisoned but it was emaciated and so obviously starving, poor little soul.

Janet

Thank you for that last kindness, Janet. Poor bird! Unfortunately we can't get to them all in time.

Jaye wrote:

Was discussing this w\ one of the techs at my avian vet several weeks ago - when I was younger I never noticed that pigeons were really any color other than blue-band or checked (a very occasional Coral\Pink thrown in there). Seems nowadays they are coming in more colors and styles . Do you think that's so (as a result of escaped fancies, homers, rollers, and such that have now had their genes inherited\dispersed several times over) or is it just a matter of never having really observed them as closely before ? Last week on a re-release I spoke w\ a guy at the vicinty of where was releasing and he pointed out a n'hood regular to me - a feral with fully-feathered legs - he was sort of a blue band but in a 'faded' sorta blue hue

I saw one on my roof today with feathered legs. Not fully feathered, like some show birds, but covered in short white feathers. I knicknamed him 'Snowboots'.

I'm sure escaped breeds are leaving their mark in the feral population. One of my rescues is a feral with massive, crinkled-looking wattles, and looks like a pedigree racer.
And there's a banded homer (massive!) who's taken up residence here 3 years ago. His mate is a pretty petite red hen with white markings. I've been looking forward to seeing their young, but they nest in really precarious places and the eggs always roll off and break.

Here's a picture of him, towering above the ferals:

Love that picture, Teresa.

Teresa, that is one big handsome boy, :Yes:

What a great expression, he's certainly giving you the once over. I love the way the bird on his right is looking up at him too.

Janet

...Teresa...that is a great picture.