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52 – Purebred PIGEON
By Tumi Kolbeinsson -
tumikolb@gmail.comIn the Nordic countries, several Nordic fancy pigeon breeds
are bred, some of which have a very long history, like the Danish
Tumblers. Fredrik the Second, King of Denmark and Norway,
imported their forefathers from India in 1572 to have in his new
pleasure garden in Denmark. They were bred at the royal court for
a long time. Today they are bred in many color varieties and are an
example of excellent breeding practice. It is the breed that has the
longest history in Iceland, even though it is not continuous.
Iceland is an island and for the longest time there were no
pigeons, not even wild pigeons. It was not until the late 20th century
that rock pigeons settled, probably coming from Scotland and the
Faroe Islands. Wood doves and ring neck doves have also nested in
Iceland in recent years and may increase in number. The first con-
firmed records of pigeons in Iceland come from falconers who came
from England and Denmark in the eleventh century, who used them
as live bait for falcons that were considered royal treasures and used
for hunting games. There is an old source telling of fancy pigeons in a
birdhouse in a monastery in Iceland in the Middle Ages and possibly
pigeons were bred in other monasteries in the country as well, but
there were 14 monasteries in Iceland at the time of the Reformation.
Danish traders brought fancy pigeons with them approximately
300 years ago. For the longest time, grain was expensive in Iceland
Tumi Kobbesnsson’s loft in Reykjavík. Between the house and the loft the
light (in the clouds) is the John Lennon Imagine Peace Tower. It is a tower of
light created by his widow Yoko Ono located on small island near Reykjavík.
Gothenborg Ttumbler. Breed from Sweden. Bred in many colours.
Danish Magpie Tumbler. Old breed from Danmark. Bred in many
colours. Originally bred at the Danish royal court.
FancyPigeons in
ICELAND