how to help a lost pigeonThis is a featured page

Did you find a pigeon?
Information on how contact and care for the lost or tired bird is below.
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Understanding how to read a pigeon band
The Racing pigeons wear a registered band that has have a specific identification format. Once you understand how to read the band number, you will find it easy to locate the club that issued the band on our Band List page. Make sure to read below on How to Care for a Lost Pigeon. Band numbers are in a series of letters & numbers as shown below.
EXAMPLE= the band may read-->AU 99 ABC 1234
(1) - AU - is the national organization that has registered the bird, in this case the American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc. The band can also have IF, CU, ATB, NBRC, or IPB in this position.
(2) - 99 - is the year the bird was hatched and banded/registered.
(3) - ABC - is a letters representing the pigeon club the band is registered to (no two clubs have the same registration letters - and they have one, two or three letters).
(4) - 1234 - A one-up number unique to each pigeon based on the club letters. Now that you understand how to read the band, you can go back to our band list to find the club that the bird you found belongs to.
NOTE: (PERSONALIZED BANDS) Sometimes the band may just have the owners name, phone and/or address on it that you may call or write them.
To help make finding the owner of a lost pigeon easier please use the following example.
Example Band Code: AU 2003 AVI 3234534
AU = American Racing Pigeon Union
2003 = Year The Bird Was Banded
AVI = Club Code
3234534 = Individual Bird (Serial #)
 So to do a Search for this lost bird's owner you would either put in AVI in the Search Box or Click on the "A" to show you all Clubs with that letter in its code.
If the band has different letters than AU, it may be another organization.
If the band has the letters CU. you can find their band list at http://www.canadianracingpigeonunion.com/
If the band has the letters IF. you can find their band list at http://www.ifpigeon.com/
If the band has the letters NPA. you can contact them at http://www.npausa.com/
If the band has the letters IPB. you can contact them at foyspigeon@zoominternet.net , or their store at 877-355-7727
NBRC - www.nbrconline.com
If the band has the letters ADA, please contact the American Dove Association (ADA secretary, Denny Stapp) at secretary@doveline.com


If the band does not have an AU , or one of the above mentioned organization letters on it, send moderator an email .I will do my best to help you find the owner of the bird. If the bird has no band at all, It is a wild pigeon..... Contact your Local Human Society.
911 Lost and Found Pigeon Group
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/911PigeonAlert/
Contact Form: http://www.teranetsystems.com/911PAContact/
Thank you for taking the time to care for lost pigeons.
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Care of Found Pigeons ...
Not really sure how to take care of the pigeon you found?
A Few Things People That Find Pigeons Need To Know!

  1. A small bowl (coffee cup size) of water will suffice.
  2. The Pigeon will eat any type of bird seed or corn.
  3. A (temporary) 2'sqaure wire cage will work fine.
  4. Don't be afraid to handle the found pigeon.
  5. The Worst you can do is ruffle feathers.
  6. By the way, Pigeons don't bite -
Care of Found Pigeons:
Not really sure how to take care of the pigeon you found?
What to do if you find a lost pigeon?
Water:
Most lost birds are hungry and thirsty. Water is necessary before all else. Since pigeons drink by suction, any water container should be at least 1 in. (2.5 cm) deep. An open container, i.e., a dish, an old margarine container tub, etc., is best. While a thirsty bird may drink immediately, it also may not. A bird, which has gone without water for a while, is sometimes a bit less than itself. It may be so exhausted; it doesn't even realize that water is in front of it, especially if the water container you use is different from what it is familiar with. A trick I've often used is to trickle a few drops of water from on high into the container to make a splashing sound. When they hear that, most birds will invariably head to drink. If a bird looks really exhausted, Gatorade or other proprietary sports drink may be added to the water. A teaspoon or two per cup (250 ml) of water will help replenish electrolytes.
Food:
Pigeons are grain eaters. While park pigeons will eat bread, most domestic birds have been raised on a multi-grain mixture and have never seen a slice of it. In fact, they would likely ignore it as possible food. Instead of bread, you might try feeding them something else from around the house. Popcorn (maize), rice, split peas, barley, buckwheat (kasha), canary seed, etc., are all good first options to feed a lost bird with. THESE GRAINS SHOULD NOT BE COOKED OR POPPED BUT FED RAW. Water should also be provided since pigeons normally drink immediately after eating.
What Should I Keep It In?
Any container that a dog or cat can't get into will be fine. An old bird cage will hold the pigeon for a day or so with no problem, as will a cardboard box - a screen on top of such a box is better than simply closing the flaps since there will then be enough light for the bird to see to eat and drink.

Finding the bird's owner. If the bird has a band on its leg, the owner can sometimes be traced through one of the national pigeon organizations. READ this information above. However, this is often not even necessary. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours rest with food and water, most homing pigeons are more than capable of finding their way home on their own. Simply release the bird in an area free of wires or other obstacles and it will usually head home immediately. NEVER try to attach a note to the owner by rubber banding it to he bird's leg. This merely cuts off the leg's blood circulation and often leads to gangrene and amputation of the limb.

Once you understand how to read the band then it will be easy to find the correct club in the United States where the lost bird may have come from.. . Please...only contact The Club Sec. only if you have the bird physically in your hands and not just flying around the property. . If you are out with your metal detector and find a band, you may be able to track where the band is from on this web page. I have no access to any other listings then what you see on the web site.
Thank You for reading this information.


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