It also crossed the Atlantic Ocean to North America. Pigeon racing was taken up enthusiastically and spread all over Europe (if youвЂ™re into racing pigeons yourself read our article here for some racing pigeon tips). Short races of 10-30 miles became extended until long-distance competitions became the norm. The first official long-distance race was organized in Belgium in 1818. Of course, as with any competitive sport, time and distance became important. Many of the cultures in the Middle East admired and kept pigeons as pets for their beauty, but there are no records about actual racing until it became popular in Europe during the 19 th century. This seems to be the origin of homing pigeon racing.ДЄlthough manвЂ™s relationship with pigeons stretches back into ancient history and covers many regions, there isnвЂ™t any historical record of racing. It is believed that pigeon racing started and was developed in Belgium back in the 1800s.Д«y 1881 the Belgians were organising regular races. The History of Pigeon Racing вЂ“ A Not So Ancient Sport That being said, letвЂ™s look at what we do know. They are not migratory birds, so thereвЂ™s no genetic switch that says fly far. Other than racing or for communication purposes as per their function in wartime, what motives does a pigeon have to fly long distances?

There are some known instances of long-distance flights but whether these are one-offs performed by the marathon runners of the pigeon world or they are feats that could be achieved by the average pigeon is not known.

The distance was 7,200 miles and it took 24 days. It is claimed that the greatest long-distance flight recorded by a pigeon is one that started at Arras in France and ended in Saigon, Vietnam back in 1931. This makes it very hard to accurately pin down the greatest distance a homing pigeon has ever flown. The problem with this question is that itвЂ™s hard to find any specific records that define specifically how far a homing pigeon can fly.

Homing pigeon