Fun German Nun Pigeon Facts For Kids

The German nun pigeon is a type of fancy pigeon that originated in Germany. This breed of the nun pigeon was bred by pigeon fanciers in Germany and since then has spread to other parts of the world.

The nun pigeon is a type of fancy pigeon that has been developed through selective breeding. This type of pigeon is a descendant of the rock pigeon (Columba livia).

The nun pigeon is one of the oldest domestic pigeon breeds and it was initially classified as a flying tumbler bird. Since then, the bird has been developed carefully to be shown in exhibitions.

The German nun pigeon is very famous in Russia where these birds are called cross nuns. This is because of their colored cap, the cross mark on its colored tail and the colored primary wing feathers which together resemble a cross during flight!

These features along with their distinctive flight pattern make it a very fascinating bird to see in shows. Keep reading for more amazing facts about the German nun pigeon.

If you liked this article with interesting facts about the German Nun Pigeon, also check out the other articles with fascinating facts about pigeon guillemot and nicobar pigeon.

German Nun Pigeon Interesting Facts

What type of animal are German nun pigeons?

German nun pigeons are a type of nun pigeon which is a breed of pigeon bird.

What class of animal do German nun pigeons belong to?

The German nun pigeon belongs to the Aves class of animal with its order being Columbiformes and genus being Columba.

How many German nun pigeons are there in the world?

The exact number of German nun pigeons in the world has not been recorded by researchers yet. As these birds are bred by professional breeders for the purpose of showing them at exhibitions and different shows, it is difficult to keep track of their number.

Where do German nun pigeons live?

German nun pigeons were primarily bred in Germany. From Germany, they slowly spread to other European countries such as Russia and to the United States of America.

What is a German nun pigeon's habitat?

A German nun pigeon is a fancy pigeon breed bred by pigeon fanciers. Therefore, they are used to a habitat with a moderate and temperate climate.

Who do German nun pigeons live with?

German nun pigeons primarily live with their breeders and other birds of their breed. Since they are born and brought up in a professional setting like other fancy pigeons, they are accustomed to being around human beings and other nun pigeon birds.

How long do German nun pigeons live?

The average lifespan of pigeons is approximately six years in the wild. However, they have been known to live for up to 35 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

The exact reproduction process of the German nun pigeon is not known however it is assumed that it follows the usual process by all pigeons. A male and a female pigeon form a mating pair during any time of the year and they form these pairs for life.

The pair works together on all aspects of reproduction and bringing up the young nestlings. The male pigeon builds the nest and the female pigeon lays the eggs shortly after that.

Both male and female pigeons incubate the eggs and they hatch around 19 days after being laid. Pigeons mostly have two eggs per clutch on average.

What is their conservation status?

The German nun pigeon is Not Evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are a type of domestic pigeon which is a subspecies of the rock pigeon or the common pigeon. This pigeon is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

German Nun Pigeon Fun Facts

What do German nun pigeons look like?

The German nun pigeon is a medium-billed tumbler pigeon. The birds of the German nun pigeon breed have a perfect and erect body posture.

They have a unique feather color pattern that is deep and even throughout the body. The colored primary wing feathers are mostly light red, coffee brown, ash-gray, light blue, black, or even silver.

Their chest and back however are completely white. These birds are of medium length and have round and narrow foreheads.

Their eyes are of medium size and they have a dark pupil. The average length of their beak falls between 0.6-0.67 in (15-17 mm).

Their neck is of medium length compared to their thin head and the back of their neck has a crest mark. Their chest is quite wide in contrast to their medium size.

The tail of a German nun pigeon is flat and long and consists of 12 narrow feathers. The birds of this breed have medium-length legs of light red color.

A distinguishable feature of this bird is its high and tight forelock and curls towards its ears. Their colored primary wing feathers, deep and even coloring all over their body including their chest and back are a sight to see especially if it is of rarer shades such as light blue or ash gray.

* Please note that this is an image of a white pigeon. If you have an image of a German nun pigeon please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

A German nun pigeon is quite cute! However, a better word to describe this German pigeon may be majestic as it is known for the cross on its thin head, the light red, ash gray, or coffee-brown color, and dark pupil.

This German pigeon breed has a high carriage and even though they are of medium size and average length, they still present a wonderful picture.

Their distinctive flight pattern is also very interesting to note. Anybody who comes across a German nun pigeon in an exhibition will surely be awed by this medium-length bird with a high carriage.

How do they communicate?

German nun pigeons mostly use audio and touch to communicate with others of its kind. They have a typical 'coo-ing' sound which they use to attract the attention of other birds. They also use their body language and wings to communicate.

How big are German nun pigeons?

The British standard for a nun pigeon stipulates that every nun pigeon bird should be at least 10 in (25 cm) in length and 9 in (23 cm) in height.

The giant otter is almost 10 times the size of a German nun pigeon as it can reach up to 6.5 ft (2 m) in height.

How fast can German nun pigeons fly?

Most German nun pigeons cannot fly very fast but have a low, circular distinctive flight pattern that does not last for a long period of time. However, there are racer pigeons who try and lure in alien pigeons to the pigeon-loft. They do this by flying and clapping their wings to bring the strange pigeon into the pigeon loft.

How much do German nun pigeons weigh?

Although the exact weight of the German nun pigeon breed is not known, the average weight of domestic pigeons is approximately 12.64 oz (358.7 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no separate, unique names to refer to male and female German nun pigeons. However, in standard terminology, male pigeons are denoted as cocks while female pigeons are referred to as hens. Therefore, a male and female German nun pigeon may also be referred to by these names.

What would you call a baby German nun pigeon?

While there is no distinct name for a baby German nun pigeon, baby pigeons are usually referred to as squeakers or squabs. Baby German nun pigeons may also be called squeaker or squab.

What do they eat?

Birds of the German nun pigeon breed have a diet that mostly contains seeds like the other pigeon breeds in the world. They eat whatever types of seeds are available to them. However, fancy pigeon breeders take good care of their pigeons and keep a strict eye on what they are being fed.

Are they dangerous?

Birds of the German nun pigeon breed are not very dangerous. These birds are fancy pigeons and they are frequently showcased in exhibitions and bird shows. Therefore, it is imperative for these birds to have a friendly, easy temperament and be comfortable while being surrounded by many people.

Would they make a good pet?

The German nun pigeon is easy to keep and has a calm temperament around humans but they would not make a very good pet. The German nun pigeon is a fancy pigeon bred by professional pigeon breeders or fanciers for the specific purpose of displaying in exhibitions.

Did you know...

Pigeons are probably the only domestic species that exhibit a great variety within themselves in terms of forms and colors. There are around 800 pigeon breeds all over the world in different regions.

Each of them differs in terms of their physical characteristics. Among them, there are also different types of Fancy pigeons. The European list of Fancy pigeons lists 500 breeds with different colored cap birds.

Why are they called German nun pigeons?

The German nun pigeon is called due to its place of origin.

Initially, just a nun pigeon bird, German pigeon breeders bred this easy-to-keep, specific type of fancy pigeon breed in Germany during the early 17th century. Since then, this specific breed has been found in other countries of Europe (most predominantly in Russia) as well as in North America but it has been referred to after its place of origin.

They are called cross nuns in Russia by Russian pigeon fanciers because of the cross marks on their heads.

What is a fancy pigeon?

A Fancy pigeon is any breed of domestic pigeon which is bred by pigeon fanciers. These Fancy pigeons differ in terms of size, shape, color, and even behavior.

Pigeon fanciers breed these birds for exhibition at fairs, pigeon shows, and livestock exhibits. Initially, the Fancy pigeon used to include flying tumbler pigeons but now they include ornamental and exhibition breeds only.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including a common ground dove, or Inca dove.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our german nun pigeon coloring pages.