About White Dove Releases
Specially bred White Homing Pigeons are bred for Dove Releases.
Our specially bred White Homing Pigeons belong to the Columbidae group, which is the family of pigeons and doves. The wild Rock Dove has an amazing homing ability and will return daily to its own nest, and its mate. This has made it relatively easy to breed birds that find their way home over very long distances, as in pigeon racing.
Homing pigeons have been recorded on flights as long as 1,100 mi (1,800 km) in pigeon racing. Their average flying speed over a distance of 500 miles is about 50 mph (80 km/h), but speeds of up to 110 mph (177 km/hr) have been observed in top racers for short distances (100 miles).
Unfortunately, not all who provide white doves for release are ethical. Some will even sell the smaller cousin of the release dove, the Ringneck Dove. These small birds have very little homing ability and frequently will not survive after a release. Please Click Here for an excellent article by the American Dove Association which covers the difference between the two types of dove.
