page_title: Fancy pigeon
section_title: Frills and Owls
hierarchical_section_title: Fancy pigeon / Major breed families / Frills and Owls
caption_attribution_description: African Owl pigeon
context_page_description: Fancy pigeon refers to any breed of domestic pigeon, which is a domesticated form of the wild rock dove. They are bred by pigeon fanciers for various traits relating to size, shape, color, and behavior, and often exhibited at pigeon shows, fairs and other livestock exhibits.
  There are about 800 pigeon breeds; considering all regional varieties all over the world there may be 1100 breeds. The European list of fancy pigeons alone names about 500 breeds. No other domestic animal has branched out into such a variety of forms and colours.
  Charles Darwin is known to have crossbred fancy pigeons, particularly the Ice Pigeon, to study variation within species, this work coming three years before his groundbreaking publication, On the Origin of Species.
context_section_description: The word "frill" here relates to the reversed feathering on the chest of these varieties. This group is also noted for having short beaks.
  Aachen Lacquer Shield Owl
  African Owl
  Chinese Owl
  Italian Owl
  Old German Owl
  Oriental Frill
  Turbit
caption: An African Owl
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