Look closely at this band – it reads “No Mercy.” This was Anna, a lost racer who arrived in respiratory distress, was treated and given O2, and unfortunately could not beat her infection. Racers will likely be culled for being “losers” who didn’t make it home quickly. Pigeon racing casualty’s band says, No mercy (Learn about how to find your lost pigeon here.) People who use their pigeons for sport and business never contact us looking for lost birds. and whenever we are contacted for help with a lost pigeon, we do our best to help them get home.

Usually, when a pet pigeon is lost, their person looks for them, posting on craigslist, Nextdoor, social media, lost and found sites, contacting local rescues, etc. We can help you to care for the bird you’ve rescued and/or to find help.

If you find a banded pigeon, please join our Palomacy Help Group and post a photo for quick help. White Homers, bred, used and lost for the “dove release” business sometimes have phone number bands and returning them is no favor to the bird. If you find a pigeon whose band says “pet” or “rescue” or has a name or phone number, the odds are more likely that the bird could be returned safely but not always.

Pigeon rescuers have learned the hard way that it is better to provide a safe, non-exploitive home for rescued sport/business pigeons than to return them to their exploiters. Palomacy PIGEONRESCUE.ORG bands are inexpensive, easy to use, come in dove, pigeon & giant pigeon size & can help your lost bird get expert help ASAP. Many kill the pigeons themselves and/or sell “surplus” pigeons to be used for “dog training, falconry, target practice, meat, whatever”, as they say in their online ads. They expect to lose many young birds in their training flights and many more in the competitions (“let the basket cull for you”). They will kill a weak or runty baby pigeon in the nest. Pigeon breeders pride themselves on their tough culling (killing, selling, rejecting) of “inferior” birds. As soon as one gets lost, hurt, blown off course, hawk-struck, etc., they are worthless and unwanted. Pigeons used for sports and business are treated as disposable. If returned to those who endanger them, they are more often than not culled for being both a failure and a threat to the other pigeons’ health and bloodlines. The information on most banded pigeons is coded and only intended to record “winners,” not to recover “losers” which are what the lost, starving, injured leg-band-wearing pigeons are considered to be. The vast majority of pigeons with leg bands are domestic birds, unable to survive on their own, that are bred, sold, exploited and endangered for “sports” such as racing and roller flying and businesses such as “ dove release.” If a banded pigeon is hanging around or catchable, they need to be rescued. Starving, lost pigeon racing survivor, now named Woot, found help & love.

White racing homers on craigslist