Danzig Highflyer Pigeon: Origin, Appearance, Behavior, Care, And More

Dazing highflyer pigeon is a dual-purpose bird that serves as an exhibition bird and a great flyer. But it’s most popular for its exceptional flying capabilities. This isn’t surprising given that the breed was developed by crossing tipplers, tumblers, and rollers—all of which are well known for their remarkable flying skills.

Thanks to its beautiful appearance, characterized by a hood on its bead, a wide variety of colors, and an overall elegant body shape, this bird also does well as a show bird.

Our article below will provide you with all the info you need to know about this bird. We have discussed everything from its history and origin, physical appearance, behavior, breeding guide, suitability as a pet, care tips, and more.

Danzig Highflyer Pigeon Quick Facts:

Scientific name	Columba livia domestica
Other names	None
Breed name	Danzig Highflyer
Origin	Poland
Breed purpose	Flying, exhibition, pets
Size	Medium
Flying ability	Excellent
Cost	$50 to $200
Lifespan	Around 10+ years

Danzig highflyer origin and history

Danzig highflyer pigeon originated from Poland, in the city of Danzig (present-day Gdansk) in the late 1800s. The breed is a descendant of rock dove and is a result of years of selective breeding.

This pigeon breed was created by crossing various flying pigeon breeds including tipplers, tumblers, and Birmingham roller. The breeders’ goal was to develop a pigeon that excelled in competitive flying.

They aimed to produce a pigeon that scored well in terms of height, speed, and endurance in the competitions.

Luckily, the Danzig highflyer excelled in this area and became one of the most popular and competent flyers.

The bird then gained popularity in other parts of the world including Germany and other Europe countries. And in early 1900s, it was imported to the US where it quickly become a favorite for many pigeon enthusiasts.

Today, there are two main breed varieties for this bird—the flying and show varieties.

The flying one remains a popular breed for pigeon racing competitions across various parts of the world and is also kept as a pet. The other variety is kept for exhibition and tends to cost more.

Appearance

The Danzig highflier pigeon is medium-sized with an elegant appearance. Its most distinctive feature is the crest sitting over its head and extending from ear to ear.

It also has a long torso that’s slender and slim and carried horizontally.

The head appears like a streamed wedge. The eyes are round and pearly white, though the color may vary between different colored birds.

Beak is medium-length and straight. Its neck is short and thick and leads down to a broad and powerful breast.

This highflyer features broad and pointed wings (the approximate wingspan is 30 to 35cm). This clearly shows how strong flyers these birds are.

Mind you, they’re so good flyers that they can take to high altitudes for prolonged hours—talk of endurance!

The tail is squarish and short, and its feathers are arranged to form a tight and compact fan. The legs are medium-length and not covered with feathers.

As it’s the case with other desecrated pigeon breeds, this highflyer comes in a wide variety of colorations. The most common color is black. But it also comes in colors like blue, silver, red, dun, black-checkered, black, and white.

The wings and tails usually feature a contrasting color to the rest of the body, with white and light grey being the most common colorations.

Here’s a video showing some of the color variations in the Danzig highflier pigeons:

Video:

Behavioral traits

The dancing highflyer pigeons are known to have such a gentle temper and they make great house pets. These birds are also quite intelligent and curious, friendly, and social.

They usually get along pretty well with other pigeons as well as their caretakers. You can pair them up or mix them up with other pigeons without fearing that conflicts might erupt.

However, the temperament may slightly vary between individuals with different life experiences and personalities.

Some birds may be more shy and reserved while others tend to be more outgoing and sociable.

You can help ensure your bird developed a friendly and gentle temperament through proper handling and socializing from a young age.

These birds are also highly energetic and active. As such, you ought to provide them with plenty of space in their loft to allow them to fly around and explore their environment.

Allowing them out of their lofts to fly in free space is highly recommended.

Diet

The diet of a Danzig highflyer pigeon is typical of what a pigeon eats. You can feed them a commercial high-quality mixture of seeds or you can mix the seeds on your own.

However, we advise you to feed them fresh fruits and veggies as a way of adding variety to their diet while ensuring they gain all the essential nutrients.

Providing them with grit is also recommended as it aids in food digestion.

Don’t forget that these pigeons drink water a lot, so you should provide them with clean and fresh water daily.

Danzig highflyer pigeons as pets

The Danzig highflyer pigeon is suitable for keeping as a pet, thanks to its gentle temper, and sociable nature which allows it to get along with fellow pigeons without conflict.

That said, you should take good care of your bird to keep them happy and healthy at all times.

Housing is one of the major considerations if you plan to get these high-flying birds.

Essentially, you should build a loft that’s spacious enough for them to fly around and stretch their wings, well-ventilated, and safe from predators and harsh elements.

You should also keep their loft clean to prevent the build of disease-causing bacteria and other microorganisms.

Provide your birds with a balanced diet (as disused above) and clean and fresh water. This will ensure they get essential nutrients as well as the energy they need to carry out flying and other body functions.

Above all, you should closely monitor your birds for changes in normal behavior and signs of illnesses and take them to a vet asap.

Even better, you should make it a routine to have your birds checked routinely by an experienced vet to help keep them safe from diseases.

Breeding

Breeding is part of this pigeon’s life. And just like other breeds of pigeons, this pigeon is a good breeder.

Before breeding starts, you should pair a male and female carefully to ensure you get desired qualities in the offspring. This is especially true if you want a bird with excellent flying performance or meets show standards.

When doing the pairing, take into account factors such as health, age, and genetic diversity.

Provide a specific breeding area for each pair. The nesting should also be comfortable for the young ones.

The female typically lays 2 eggs and then the two parents take turns incubating the eggs until they hatch. The parents then feed and rear the chick until it reaches an age where it can feed on its own.

Check out this Facebook group dedicated to Danzig highflyer pigeons to interact with other pigeon fanciers and breeders and learn from them.

Price

You’ll need to spend from as little as $50 to as high as several hundred dollars on a Danzig pigeon.

The huge price variation is influenced by several factors including the pedigree, health, and age of the bird. Your location and availability of breeders will also heavily influence the price of the bird.

Research the best breeders near you to increase your chances of getting a high-quality bird that’s healthy at fair pricing.

Lifespan

The Danzig highflyer will do about 10 years or more as a pet bird. However, some birds may not reach this age due to poor care such as malnutrition, unbalanced diet, poor living conditions, health issues, etc.

If you want your bird to stay for 10plus years, then you should ensure you provide it with a balanced diet, healthy and comfortable living conditions, and keep its health in check by visiting the vet regularly for checkups.

If you’re interested in learning about other unique breeds of pigeons, you might want to check out our articles on Cumulet pigeons and Carneau pigeons. Our article on Cumulet pigeons delves into the unique features and care requirements of these fascinating birds, including how to breed and raise them for show or as pets. Meanwhile, our article on Carneau pigeons provides an in-depth look at the history, characteristics, and care requirements of these elegant and friendly birds, including how to maintain their health and well-being.

Final Verdict

The Danzig highflyer has excellent flying capabilities and can soar to high heights for hours. This makes it a popular bird in pigeon racing competitions in various parts of the globe. It’s also known for its distinctive hood and color variations which give it the beauty standard of a show bird. There are two main variations of this breed, flying and show birds.

The highflier pigeon also makes a great pet due to its friendly and social nature. Its exceptional flying capabilities make it an entertaining bird to watch. Follow our tips in the above guide on how to take care of your bird to ensure it stays strong and healthy and lives for years.