[Diamond dave]

Can anyone tell me what purpose the wattle serves on a pigeon?
Why are some large and some small and some are extra large?
Does it assist or interfere with racing?
There seem to be lots of theories around for everything else on a pigeon but nothing associated to the Wattle or the Cere?
Does it hold any secrets or does anyone put any significance on it?
Thanks
D.D.

[KING BILLY]

Diamond dave, on 28 January 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Can anyone tell me what purpose the wattle serves on a pigeon?
Why are some large and some small and some are extra large?
Does it assist or interfere with racing?
There seem to be lots of theories around for everything else on a pigeon but nothing associated to the Wattle or the Cere?
Does it hold any secrets or does anyone put any significance on it?
Thanks
D.D.

you can always tell the health of the doos by the couler of the wattle any couler than white is defo a sine of bad health only exeption is when the doos hit top form and you get a ting of pink on the wattle

[IB]

My understanding is the wattle is just the protective covering for the birds nasal passages. Often wondered why it's soft, and not cartilage like ours? But being soft it can get discoloured as Tam (above) says, by anything wrong underneath it. The cere (I think) deflects wind away from the birds eyes while in flight.

Once upon a time, big cocky heads, huge wattles and thick ceres were the norm in racing pigeons. Nowadays all that is seen as unwanted ballast on the bird.

[Tony C]

IB, on 28 January 2012 - 12:54 PM, said:

My understanding is the wattle is just the protective covering for the birds nasal passages. Often wondered why it's soft, and not cartilage like ours? But being soft it can get discoloured as Tam (above) says, by anything wrong underneath it. The cere (I think) deflects wind away from the birds eyes while in flight.

Once upon a time, big cocky heads, huge wattles and thick ceres were the norm in racing pigeons. Nowadays all that is seen as unwanted ballast on the bird.

Thinking laterally for a minute....... lets compare a pigeons wattle to that of the nose of a dog! A dogs nose is like a sponge but instead of sucking in water it sucks in smells. Boffins now tell us that pigeons as well as using the earths magnetic fields & sun, smell also help them navigate............... so could the wattle of a pigeon be used as part of their homing instinct? and could the decrease in size of the wattle be a part of the reason why the modern day pigeons homing instinct is poorer of that of pigeons from yesteryear thus resulting in the losses were now encountering these days.

Dont slate me............ I'm not well

[Diamond dave]

Very interesting - Has any one noticed if the wattle/Cere gets bigger when the bird has harder races.

DD

[jocky]

Tony C, on 28 January 2012 - 13:33 PM, said:

Thinking laterally for a minute....... lets compare a pigeons wattle to that of the nose of a dog! A dogs nose is like a sponge but instead of sucking in water it sucks in smells. Boffins now tell us that pigeons as well as using the earths magnetic fields & sun, smell also help them navigate............... so could the wattle of a pigeon be used as part of their homing instinct? and could the decrease in size of the wattle be a part of the reason why the modern day pigeons homing instinct is poorer of that of pigeons from yesteryear thus resulting in the losses were now encountering these days.

Dont slate me............ I'm not well

very interersting

[darren cantrill]

Diamond dave, on 28 January 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Can anyone tell me what purpose the wattle serves on a pigeon?
Why are some large and some small and some are extra large?
Does it assist or interfere with racing?
There seem to be lots of theories around for everything else on a pigeon but nothing associated to the Wattle or the Cere?
Does it hold any secrets or does anyone put any significance on it?
Thanks
D.D.

very interesting something id never really thought of in racing terms i like the people who have replied used it as a quick look method to a pigeons health the whiter the better touch of pink coming into form normally ive found a sight darwins pigeons on google an insight into breeds of pigeons and am now thoroughly engrossed reading it maybe its a throw back to other breeds of pigeons which were crossed to give us what we have today the racing pigeon.cocks normally have a bigger wattle etc maybe its genetic to some kind of display or the woowing of the hen i dont honestly know but now i want to if i find any scientific notes etc or proof ill post it im intrigued now

[OLDYELLOW]

I have always loved big wattled birds and just because of fashion there no-longer liked I'm certainly keeping the big wattles , nice to see them clean and white bigger the better fer me

[dal2]

Diamond dave, on 28 January 2012 - 12:50 PM, said:

Very interesting - Has any one noticed if the wattle/Cere gets bigger when the bird has harder races.

DD

Big yins

[franny41]

OLDYELLOW, on 28 January 2012 - 19:36 PM, said:

I have always loved big wattled birds and just because of fashion there no-longer liked I'm certainly keeping the big wattles , nice to see them clean and white bigger the better fer me

I'm with you on this OLDYELLOW big wattles wins hands down for me.

[IB]

Tony C, on 28 January 2012 - 13:33 PM, said:

Thinking laterally for a minute....... lets compare a pigeons wattle to that of the nose of a dog! A dogs nose is like a sponge but instead of sucking in water it sucks in smells. Boffins now tell us that pigeons as well as using the earths magnetic fields & sun, smell also help them navigate............... so could the wattle of a pigeon be used as part of their homing instinct? and could the decrease in size of the wattle be a part of the reason why the modern day pigeons homing instinct is poorer of that of pigeons from yesteryear thus resulting in the losses were now encountering these days.

Dont slate me............ I'm not well

One bit of your post deffo rings true, a lot of animals that rely on their sense of smell for defence certainly have a soft snout. So maybe the wattle is a sign that the bird has a good sense of smell, which of course has already been proven.

During a wee look about on the net I did come across a Glasgow University paper on the wattle (which they miscalled the cere) found it heavy going, it didn't answer any questions for us, but the layers of skin were unusual including the top one which flakes off to give that 'white' appearance.

The pdf is worth a quick skim, but worse reading than the Sunday newspapers. too big to attach so link is:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm....t00175-0047.pdf

[KING BILLY]

IB, on 29 January 2012 - 10:02 AM, said:

One bit of your post deffo rings true, a lot of animals that rely on their sense of smell for defence certainly have a soft snout. So maybe the wattle is a sign that the bird has a good sense of smell, which of course has already been proven.

During a wee look about on the net I did come across a Glasgow University paper on the wattle (which they miscalled the cere) found it heavy going, it didn't answer any questions for us, but the layers of skin were unusual including the top one which flakes off to give that 'white' appearance.

The pdf is worth a quick skim, but worse reading than the Sunday newspapers. too big to attach so link is:-

http://www.ncbi.nlm....t00175-0047.pdf

YOU TALK A AD OF PISH