Fun Tumbler Pigeon Facts For Kids

Are you interested in learning about different birds like ani-birds or pigeons? Then you should give this article on the tumbler pigeon a read.  The tumbler pigeon, or simply the tumbler, is a superset under which several bird breeds are categorized such as the Berlin short-faced tumbler and West of England tumbler. Tumblers, as the name suggests, tumble in flight. This tumbling is a fascinating characteristic which people enjoy watching. Moreover, some of these birds can fly for as long as eight to 10 hours without stopping, making these birds very desirable. Unfortunately, many believe that they have become mere show-birds, meaning that they have lost their tumbling abilities.

They are domesticated descendants of the rock dove, also called the rock pigeon, which is found abundantly in the wild and they borrow quite a lot of their characteristics from them. Breeders selectively breed different breeds of these birds to get a desirable outcome.

If you are fascinated by these birds, read on to know more facts. If you want to learn more about different animals, you can read up on the Lahore pigeon and the white-crowned pigeon.

What type of animal is a tumbler pigeon?

Tumbler pigeons belong to the Columba genus under the Columbidae family.

What class of animal does a tumbler pigeon belong to?

Tumbler pigeons belong to the Aves class under the animal kingdom.

How many tumbler pigeons are there in the world?

Although the population of all the sub-species of tumbler pigeons hasn't been evaluated, they are widespread throughout the world.

Where does a tumbler pigeon live?

Since they are a domesticated descendant of the rock dove, they are found mostly in domestic settings. However, some of them fly out to the wild.

Breeders suggest that they need to be housed in a specially built pigeon loft. This loft should allow them to leave and fly around when they want and protect them from adverse weather conditions.

What is a tumbler pigeon's habitat?

Since tumbler pigeons are bred in different habitats, different varieties of this breed can acclimatize to different climates. For example, West of England tumblers and short-faced tumblers are bred in England, while Iranian highflying tumblers are bred in Iran.

Who does the tumbler pigeon live with?

While they are mostly bred for breeding purposes, they are assumed to resemble their parent species of rock dove in their propensity to live in groups rather than solitarily. These groups generally consist of producers and scroungers. Producers are pigeons that locate and obtain food, while scroungers are the ones who feed on the food obtained by the producers.

How long does a tumbler pigeon live?

Their life span varies from one variant to the other. Felegyhaza tumblers live between seven to 10 years, which is a year higher than the average pigeon lifespan.

How do they reproduce?

Tumbler pigeons are like other pigeons and reproduce like other pigeons. A male pigeon will court a female of his kind by puffing up his feathers, leading to mating. They mate using their cloacas. Since they are a descendant of rock doves, they also lay about two to six eggs. The number of eggs that a female tumbler lays depends on the kind of tumbler pigeon.

However, it must be noted that most of these breeds are subject to selective breeding. Selective breeding refers to the cross-breeding of different breeds of birds to get certain characteristics in a new breed.

What is their conservation status?

While they are Not Evaluated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, it is believed that they are abundant throughout the world, and therefore, are not even close to being Vulnerable or Extinct.

What does a tumbler pigeon look like?

The physical attributes of a tumbler pigeon may vary depending on the breed of tumbler pigeon it is. They appear in a wide variety of colors, feather configurations, and body types. However, they have some common characteristics which can help you identify a tumbler. They usually have a common protruding head and have a short or medium beak, though the color of their beak is different for each breed.

Their neck is not very thick. Breeds of tumbler pigeons are different with respect to their body color. However, they are all classified as fancy pigeons and are beautiful. While Armenian tumblers have an elegant white body with a round head, other breeds like Komorner tumblers are black, with fading shades of gray on their tail. Komorner tumblers also have colorful specks on their neck like the rock pigeon and fading shades of black on its wing.

How cute are they?

Like peach-faced lovebirds, tumbler pigeons are extremely cute. With their different colors, they are all very pretty. Breeds like West of England tumblers, short-faced tumblers, and Berlin long-faced pigeons are known for their elegance, along with their tumbling ability, which is why they are used in many pigeon shows.

How do they communicate?

Like all other pigeons, tumbler pigeons also use sound and movements to communicate different messages to each other. They have different notes for different messages.

How big is a tumbler pigeon?

Due to the difference in various breeds, each breed has a different size. While their average size is between 11-15 in (27-38 cm), they are relatively much shorter than a Nicobar pigeon.

How fast can a tumbler pigeon fly?

Although there is no official data on the speed of a tumbler pigeon, they are estimated to be faster than the average pigeon speed of 50-60 mph (81-97 kph).

How much does a tumbler pigeon weigh?

There is a wide difference between the weights of different breeds within the tumbler pigeons. While an ancient tumbler weighs between 4.9-5.4 oz (140-142 g), short-faced tumblers, as the name suggests, are smaller with a short face and weigh around 7 oz (199 g). The pigeon guillemot weighs less than this bird breed.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Tumbler pigeons refers to both males and females of this breed of pigeons.

What would you call a baby tumbler pigeon?

A baby tumbler is called a squab.

What do they eat?

This pigeon is not a choosy eater and eats a variety of grains, seeds, fruits, pellets, and vegetables.

According to some breeders, some owners tend to overfeed their pigeons. This can be detrimental to their performance. If a person overfeeds them, they lose interest in performing and become obese. The amount of food that should be given depends upon the kind of tumbler pigeon and its size. You can also supplement their diet with vitamins, and calcium.

They need to be fed clean water because it is essential for their good health and the condition of their plumage.

Are they dangerous?

No, they are not a dangerous breed of bird. On the contrary, they are a relatively a calm breed of birds.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they are domestic birds and would make a great pet.

Did you know...

Tumbler pigeons have been around for centuries. Their date of origin has been marked before the 1500s.

Charles Darwin mentioned them in his famous book called 'Origin Of Species'.

What is the difference between roller and tumbler pigeons?

Roller pigeons, also called rollers, are very similar to tumblers. Both rollers and tumblers tumble. However, the key difference between rollers and tumblers is the number of backward somersaults or backflips they can do. They generally backflip when they attempt to fly. While rollers can do the backward somersault consecutively, tumblers can only do it once or twice. This difference is why they have been given the names of rollers and tumblers.

Why do tumbler pigeons tumble?

Tumbling refers to the ability of this bird to perform backward flips mid-flight. Tumbling is a genetic trait, although it is believed that tumblers tumble in flight because it is their means of survival and a defense mechanism against predators of a different breed.

However, more than a trait of survival, tumbling has become a huge attraction for pigeon shows. People all over the world enjoy seeing birds tumble in flight. Tumbling also helps us identify tumblers from a distance.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our lucifer hummingbird facts and long wattled umbrellabird facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable tumbler pigeon coloring pages.