The Pigmy Pouter is a
breed of
fancy pigeon
Fancy pigeon refers to any breed of domestic pigeon, which is a domesticated form of the wild rock dove (''Columba livia''). They are bred by pigeon fanciers for various traits relating to size, shape, color, and behavior, and often exhibited at p ...
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 m ...
. Pigmy Pouters, 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'').
Noted British poultry breeder
Sir John Sebright (who later bred the
Sebright Bantam) is believed to have first bred the Pigmy Pouter, though the issue is debatable.
[Holland, Bill. Golden and Silver Sebright Bantams. American Bantam Association: 1980. pp. 2-3]
North American reception
Although the pigmy pouter has been heralded as a bizarre creature and its popularity has not increased much from its introduction to North American society, it still has a dedicated fanbase gathered together by groups such as the American Pigmy Pouter Club and The Canadian Pouter and Cropper Combine. Its low popularity makes obtaining such a bird a difficult task in North America. However, dedicated breeders have been striving to increase the bird's popularity and make it the most prevalent show bird.
See also
*
Pouter
*
List of pigeon breeds
This is an alphabetical list of pigeon breeds. Pigeons and doves are members of the bird family Columbidae. Doves tend to be smaller and pigeons larger, although this distinction is not consistently applied.
The birds listed here are breeds of th ...
References
Pigeon breeds
Pigeon breeds originating in England
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