The Nun is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of fancy pigeon developed through many years of

selective breeding Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant mal ...

. It was known as the Dutch Shell Pigeon in

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. Nuns, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon (''Columba livia''). The Nun is one of the oldest breeds and was originally a flying tumbler before being developed for exhibition. It is a mostly white breed, with a hood of feathers, which gives the name to the breed.

Description

The Nun is given its name by the raised feathers which form a kind of hood which covers the back of the neck and head, resembling a nun. Continental Europe previously referred to the Nun as the Dutch Shell Pigeon during the early part of the 20th century. It resembles the tumbler, from which this breed of pigeon originated; although as with all domestic pigeons they are descended from the rock pigeon (''Columba livia''). They have mostly white bodies and are designated according to the color of their head, for example, a black headed Nun, or a yellow headed Nun. Only the head, tail and the

flight feather Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

s are colored. Nuns are one breed in a group of pigeons who fly at high altitudes, along with types of tumblers and the

magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...

pigeon. The British Nun Club standard for the Nun states that the ideal size for male Nuns should be from the top of the bird's head to their feet, and from the front of the chest to its tail. Female and young Nuns should be roughly the same size. The beak should be straight but stout, and the eyes a pearly white.

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

referred to the Nun in '' The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication'', where he described how the Nun and

Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

breeds of pigeon have evolved to have less

caudal vertebrae The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

than the rock pigeon, from which they originate.

References

External links

{{commons category, Nun (pigeon)
Australian and British Nun ClubNun Pigeon Breed Guide - Pigeonpedia
Pigeon breeds

Description

See also

References

External links