January/February 2026

44 – Purebred PIGEON Did you know “S” is pronounced “Sh” in Hun- garian? So “Budapest” is actually pronounced “Budapesht” by locals. Whereas “Sz” is pro- nounced “S”, so “Szép” (meaning “Beautiful”) would be pronounced “Sape”. And the “Cs” in “Csepel”? “Cs” is pro- nounced “Ch” so for us English speakers, it would be “Chepel.” These are just a few of the things I learned during my amaz- ing stay in Hungary. My son was doing an internship in Budapest and with a “free” place to stay, a family vacation was in order! After the sticker shock of plane tickets, it actually turned out to be a very affordable vacation. I was in Budapest for work for two weeks with my son as he started his internship (and before my wife and daughter joined us), so I had some free- dom to my evening and weekend plans. One Saturday I was able to spend time with some local fanciers, Tamás Molnár and László Varga. These two neighbors in Csepel have a labyrinth of a loft, connected over two homesteads, with so many breeds I lost count. László is a well-known fancier of many years in Hun- gary, if not all of Europe. He introduced me to a few breeds I had never heard of; Romain Runts, Csepel Tumblers, and a Chinese Roller breed they call “Duck Pigeons”. The Romains are truly magnificent both in size and feather. The Duck Pigeons are unique in their interesting characteristics of extra toes and fleshy wing joints. László began his pigeon career 70 years ago and his wall of trophies and awards didn’t even fit in his dedicated room, with many of these recognitions sitting in boxes on the floor. Years ago, he started with what else? Hungarian House pigeons! But he soon diversified into many different breeds, as many as 30, which he would bring to area schools for many years to promote the fancy. He has been to 17 different countries to show his birds and was instrumental in sending Hungarian House pigeons to the USA 30 years ago. He has since slowed down, focusing on breeds including Romain Runts, Duck Pigeons, Naked Necks, Csepel Tumblers, Chinese Nasal Tufts, Mondains, Giant Homers, dove release pigeons, and a few more. His wife, Paula, and daughter, Di- ana, help with his pigeons nowadays, with his wife often serving pigeon and rabbit soup to visitors and László offering traditional palinka drink (much to Paula’s chagrin) and home- made sausage for cheer. Tamás has been making a name for himself with his Jacobins and also being the first fancier in Hungary to intro- duce the Tabriz White Tumbler to the country. He has been in the fancy for 20 years and acted as our interpreter, along with László’s daughter Diana, during our visit (although I think László knew more English than he was letting on.) The pigeon fancy is a unique hobby that transcends both country and history. I find myself awed by the depth of our hobby and often wonder if we all should be admiring it more than we do. We may get caught up in local or breed club disputes in the USA but that, to me, defiles the rich antiquity and worldwide tradition of the pigeon experience. There is always more to know, learn and understand. Let’s lift our eyes from our petty pigeon concerns and look at the global pigeon picture. It is truly a work of art that has lasted generations, indeed, pre-history, and we are all a part of this story together. Cherish that. My two new friends in Csepel helped me realize that. As our short time in Hungary came to a close, László offered me this advice (through his interpreters) … “There are two types of people in the world. Normal ones, and pigeon fanciers.” With all our petty disputes in foibles here in the USA, I still hope to always be one of the latter. Are you?• Duck Pigeon with 5 toes