The Serbian Highflier is a breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

 of domestic pigeon

Domestic Pigeon

The Domestic Pigeon was derived from the Rock Pigeon. The Rock Pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets mention the domestication of pigeons more than 5,000 years ago, as do Egyptian hieroglyphics.Research suggests that domestication of pigeons was as early as...

 that is bred for endurance flying. The breed is characterized by long circle flights up to 15 hours. It can fly as high as 1500 metres. There are about 20000 fanciers of this breed in Serbia.

Origin

City of Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

, Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

. A relatively recent creation which is not mentioned by Wendell Levi in his text The Pigeon. Some evidence exists that the breed has descended from "The Illyrian Pigeon"http://www.serbianhighflier.com/images/mainpage.htm. This would make the Serbian Highflier a relative of the Archangel

Archangel (pigeon)

The Archangel is a breed of fancy pigeon, notable for the metallic sheen of its feathers. Archangels, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the Rock Pigeon . It is kept as an ornamental or fancy breed, valued for its unusual appearance. Archangels are small,...

 which has a similar body type. The crest (upturned feathers behind head) on the Archangel come to a "peak" whereas the crest of the Serbian Highflier is best described as "spade" shaped. The breed is maintained mainly as a performance breed for its endurance and high flying ability, and as such is more akin to the Tippler

Tippler

A Tippler is a breed of domestic pigeon bred to participate in endurance competitions. Flying results of up to 22 hours have been reported .-Origin:...

 pigeon. It does have a strong following in its country of origin where flying contests are organised.
A rare breed outside its country of origin. There are some strong devotees among the high flying fraternity around the world. Not often seen as an exhibition pigeon. However a show standard

Breed standard

A breed standard in animal fancy and animal husbandry is a set of guidelines which is used to ensure that the animals produced by a breeder or breeding facility conform to the specifics of the breed....

has been adopted by ANPA (The Australian National Pigeon Association) http://www.anpa.com.au/:

Description

The Standard of Excellence for the

Serbian Highflier

The most important attributes for this breed are:

a/ High flight

b/ Long flight

c/ Group and circled flight

d/ General appearance

General appearance:

Small to medium compact pigeon with flat vertical crest. Stance to be at a 45 degree angle. Lively appearance as if ready to fly.

Head:

Long and narrow with pronounced flatness on top. Forehead to angle down in line with the beak. Crest to be flat across back of skull reaching to just above top of head.

Beak:

Medium long angled downward and slightly curved. Top mandible to be in line with forehead. Stained in dark coloured birds. All others to be clear. Cere to be fine and coloured in accordance with colour of bird.

Body:

To be short and stout. Solid and well muscled. Short keel. Feathering to be tight with no gaps.

Eyes:

Pearl with as little gravel as possible. Eyes to be centered just in front of the middle of the skull. White or Baldheads may be Bull eyed. Ceres to be fine and coloured in accordance with colour of bird.

Neck:

Rather stout. Tapering slightly from body to head. Length of neck to be in proportion to body.

Tail:

Short and close with good webbing. 12 tail feathers carried just off the ground.

Wings:

Long, to reach tip of tail with strong and prominent wing butts. Carried above the tail. Flights broad and over-lapping with good cover.

Size:

170 to 255 grams (6-9 ounces). Short keeled.

Legs and Feet:

Clean legged. Skin to be red in colour.

Colours and Markings:

All colours and patterns are acceptable. Pattern not to affect quality.

Faults:

Feathers on legs, rounded head, over long or thin in body, long keel, overlarge size, eye colour other than pearl or bull in white and balds, more or less than 12 tail feathers, any evidence of being crossed to other breeds.

Ring Size:

Size B (8mm)

External links

• Serbian Highflier United Pigeon Club - Australia at: http://www.srpskivisokoletac.com
• Club of Serbian highflier at: http://www.carskaptica.com/