FORLIVING
Pigeons prove to be birds of a varied feather
For Shrewsbury man, bird’s versatility has provided a lifetime of enjoyment
By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer

Retired Lt. Col. Robert DeAdder holds a Jacobin fantail pigeon, one of the hundreds of pigeons he breeds, trains and enters into competition. A Norwich cropper pigeon (inset) is affectionately named Chairman of the Board because of its superior characteristics.

It turns out that not even the most dedicated of pigeon partisans have anything nice to say about the gray-blue creatures most of us think of when the bird is mentioned.

"They’re bums," said Robert DeAdder, 87, a retired lieutenant colonel for the Army Signal Corps. "I wouldn’t let my pigeons associate with them."

DeAdder recently spoke about pigeons, which have been part of his life for more than three-quarters of a century, at a meeting of the Long Branch Historical Association.

He explained that all pigeons are members of the dove family, and man has bred more than 200 varieties of the bird.

The versatility of the birds has caused them to be bred for everything from racing to eating and decoration. He noted that birds bred to be eaten are called squab.

"They’re delicious," DeAdder said. "Any good delicatessen will serve squab."

Among the more than 150 pigeons that DeAdder breeds, raises and trains in his bird coop in Shrewsbury, there are neither bums or squabs, but there are plenty of athletes — also known as racing and homing pigeons — and fancies — birds valued for their appearance and ability to perform.

The athletes, noted DeAdder, can fly 500-600 miles in one day before the sun sets. Because they are homing pigeons, they fly home unless a hawk spots them and turns them into the catch of the day.

While today the birds fly in competitive events, DeAdder said they once proved invaluable as a means of providing communication during military engagements.

One particular bird, named Cherimi, is credited with showing particular courage and perseverance on the battlefield. According to DeAdder, Cherimi saved troops in World War I and was awarded a Purple Heart after saving a battalion that had lost radio contact with its command base. The battalion could have been subject to friendly fire because the troops entering the battle had no way of knowing the unit’s position.

According to DeAdder, several pigeons were released, one by one, and one by one they were shot down, except for Cherimi.

"He was shot in the breast," said DeAdder, "but he still got the message to base camp that the battalion was lost and where it was lost."

When Cherimi arrived, he not only had a hole in his breast from gunfire but was missing an eye and had a broken wing.

Cherimi was preserved and today can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution.

Another famous war flyer has come to roost a little closer to area homes. G.I. Joe flew 20 miles in 20 minutes delivering a message that would save 1,000 British troops that were in danger of being bombed by the American forces in World War II. The British 56th Brigade was slated to attack Colvi Vecchia in October 1943, and as preparation for the attack, U.S. forces were supposed to bomb the city to soften resistance to the British advance.

The British troops met little resistance from retreating Nazi forces and were in place before the American bombers even left the airfield.

Because they did not have radio contact with the Americans, the brigade officers sent G.I. Joe to the airfield and the pigeon was able to reach the base in time to cancel the airstrike.

In 1946, G.I. Joe received the Dickin Medal of Valor for Gallantry by the Lord Mayor of London. G.I. Joe has also been preserved and can be found at the Historical Center at Meyer Hall at Fort Monmouth.

Following the success the birds demonstrated during wars, pigeon-racing clubs were formed.

The hobby of racing pigeons began in Belgium and has gained in popularity all over the world, said DeAdder.

Along with the racers, several other types of pigeons were developed by man through selective breeding to demonstrate specific talents.

Among those are the roller, which flies within a flock of birds only to drop away, spiral 15 to 20 times downward and then return to the flock.

Other breeds include the tumbler and the saddle muff, also a tumbler, which spins several times forward during flight.

"These characteristics were developed by man, just because they wanted to," DeAdder said.

Then there is the tippler, a pigeon with incredible stamina that can stay on the wing (fly) for 18 hours.

"In England, the record for staying on the wing is more than 20 hours, because England has longer daylight hours," DeAdder said.

DeAdder said it is believed that the birds do not like to fly at night because they cannot orient themselves by landmarks to find their way home.

The birds have even been bred to perform tricks when not in flight. DeAdder demonstrated by reaching into one of the cages housing the pigeons that he had brought and pulling out a parlor roller.

As he set the bird down on the ground at the front of the room in the aisle between the seats, attendees were able to witness the pigeon rolling head first five or six times in a row.

The average life span for all breeds of pigeons is 10 to 15 years, according to DeAdder.

"However, Kaiser, a German bird captured during World War I and featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not, lived to be just over 33 years old," he said.

For all the effort given to developing the birds as athletes and performers, just as much effort has gone into development of fancy pigeons. Each is uniquely bred to be different and unique in appearance.

One by one, DeAdder took out 12 birds with a surprising array of colors shapes and sizes.

The Modena pigeon, bred in Italy, is known as the Gazzi when it comes in two colors, or the Sketti when it has only one color.

The magpipe is distinguished from other pigeons by its very long neck and thin body.

The satinette is easily recognized by its unusually small beak. Because its beak is so small, it has trouble raising and feeding its young. DeAdder noted that hatchlings are usually given foster parents to help raise them.

Then there is the frill back. As the name suggests, the feathers which run down the bird’s back and sides are curly.

Through selective breeding, some fancy pigeons have plumage that resembles certain human garb. DeAdder displayed a priest pigeon, whose feather patterns resemble the black-and-white garb of a priest.

"If there is a priest," said DeAdder, reaching into a group of birds, "there has to be a nun."

The nun’s coloring bore a striking resemblance to the traditional habits worn by nuns. Its black body was topped by a white ruffled neck which reached up over the head like the hood of a nun.

Staying with the religious theme, DeAdder pulled out of his cages an archangel, a bird with a glossy green-and-black body and a reddish-brown head and neck.

Nearing the end of the display of pigeons, DeAdder showed off a swallow pigeon, which has feet with wings that extend out several inches.

The fantail, which resembles a peacock but is much smaller, has spreading black and gray tail feathers.

DeAdder also displayed a Norwich cropper. He has affectionately named his bird Chairman of the Board because its characteristics lend an air of importance.

DeAdder owns approximately 120 fancy pigeons.

DeAdder said his appreciation for pigeons goes back to his childhood. The birds have been a part of his life since he was 10 years old, when they first caught his interest.

"Most important, they bring me a lot of pleasure," DeAdder added.

When DeAdder’s birds are just 30 days old, they get banded with ID bracelets and are allowed to fly in his barn loft for exercise.

"Don’t worry—I don’t allow my birds to bum around the neighborhood, because they are easily snatched up by hawks," DeAdder said.

DeAdder’s fancies are not allowed out of the loft at all because their bright plumage makes them easy prey for hawks.

Another valid reason to keep these birds under a roof and away from predators’ watchful eyes is their value.

DeAdder said that 20 years ago, to purchase a fancy pigeon could cost him about $100. Today they can cost upward of $300. If the bird has a successful competition record, its value can reach more than $100,000. A Belgian bird that beat out 21,000 birds in a long-distance race brought a price of $132,000 when sold.

DeAdder starts training the birds by allowing them to fly a couple of miles at a time, gradually increasing the distance until they can fly 60 miles and return home.

Over two weeks ago, DeAdder told his audience, he released two birds at Allaire State Park, Wall. Only one bird returned home.

"I suspect that the second bird was captured by a hawk," he said.