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The African Owl is a
A breed of fancy pigeon developed by selective breeding, it has descended from the
American Owl ClubAfrican Owl Pigeon Breed Guide - Pigeonpedia
Birds of North Africa Animal breeds originating in Tunisia
breed
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...
of fancy pigeon
Fancy pigeon refers to any breed of domestic pigeon, which is a domesticated form of the wild rock dove (''Columba livia''). They are bred by pigeon fanciers for various traits relating to size, shape, color, and behavior, and often exhibited at pi ...
developed over many years of selective breeding
Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant m ...
. They originated in Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
(Africa), and were imported into England during the 19th century. The breed is known for its short beak, which gives the breed the "Owl" name due to the size and shape.
Description
A breed of fancy pigeon developed by selective breeding, it has descended from the rock dove
The rock dove (''Columba livia''), also sometimes known as "rock pigeon" or "common pigeon", is a member of the bird family Columbidae (doves and pigeons). In common usage, it is often simply referred to as the "pigeon", although the rock dov ...
as with other types of domesticated pigeons; it is thought to have first been brought into Europe from Tunis
Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, Africa, where the type originated and were first imported into England in the late 19th century. They were originally referred to as "Foreign Owls", as a similar type of pigeon had already been known in England, which upon the importation of the African Owl became known as the "English Owl". The main difference between the two types of owl was that the African or "Foreign" variety was noticeably smaller.
As with other types of "owl" pigeons, the African Owl has a crest of feathers running down the front of its breast, which is called the jabot, also known as a tie or cravat. The body of an African Owl is short and plump, and the head is smooth and unadorned with rough feathers. The beak of this breed is short and stout, and it is this beak which gives the Owl type their name, being turned down in shape.
Lewis Wright wrote in ''The Practical Pigeon Keeper'' of the delicate nature of these types of pigeons; "Foreign Owls require to have their lofts well ventilated, yet perfectly free from damp and draught, else they die by dozens: in fact, they are at the best exceedingly delicate birds."
See also
*List of pigeon breeds
This is an alphabetical list of pigeon breeds; these are exclusively breeds of the domestic pigeon (''Columba livia domestica''). Other Columbidae species (e.g., the Barbary dove, ''Streptopelia risoria'') have been domesticated and developed in ...
References
External links
{{commons categoryAmerican Owl Club
Birds of North Africa Animal breeds originating in Tunisia