The King pigeon 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 ...

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

developed over 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 ...

primarily as a utility breed. Kings along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons are all descendants from the

rock pigeon The rock dove, rock pigeon, or common pigeon ( also ; ''Columba livia'') is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon". The domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domes ...

(''Columba livia''). The breed is known for large size and suitability for

squab In culinary terminology, squab is an immature domestic pigeon, typically under four weeks old, or its meat. The meat is widely described as tasting like dark chicken. The term is probably of Scandinavian origin; the Swedish word ''skvabb'' mean ...

production.

Show Kings

The breed also has a variety bred for exhibition purposes at pigeon shows. It is called the ''Show King'' to distinguish it from the purely utility variety. The Show King is dual purpose and can be used for squab raising.Seymour, Rev. Colin (Ed)(2006) ''Australian Fancy Pigeons National Book of Standards''.

History

The King is a dual purpose breed that originated in the United States. They were developed during the 1890s by crossing four older varieties: the Duchess for grace; the Homer for alertness; the Maltese for compactness and style; and the Runt for body and size.

Roles with humans

Food

King pigeon meat is popular in cuisines of parts of China, North Africa, North America, and some European countries.Kokosyzński, D. (2020) ''Carcass Characteristics, Physicochemical Properties, and Texture and Microstructure of the Meat and Internal Organs of Carrier and King Pigeons''.

References

External links