Last week we asked if you knew this pigeon. It has been a frequent visitor to the home of Trevor and Sallie Robinson on Becker Avenue. We don’t know who it belongs to, but at least now we might know what the bands on its legs are for.

Melanie Dubart, 14, of Cedar Springs, called and said she thinks it might be a racing pigeon. “Clubs breed them and race them to fly back to where they live,” she explained. “They might take them to Kentucky or somewhere, and then some don’t make it home, and take up with a flock of wild pigeons.” She said while she or her family doesn’t race them, they just bought some pigeons with bands on their legs. She noted that the bands cannot be removed, and that many times an owner won’t want a pigeon back if they can’t find their way home.

According to the American Racing Pigeon Union, pigeons will sometimes continue on home, after they’ve had some time to rest. If not, they can be traced to their owner from the number on the band on their leg. The first two letters tell what pigeon racing union they are with:

AU—American Racing Pigeon Union
IF—Internation Federation
C.U.—Canadian Racing Pigeon Union

For more info on how to care for lost racing homing pigeons, or how to find its owner, visit www.pigeon.org.