The Pigeoncote breed highlight

American Crests

The Breeds of the United States
The American Crest has two varietals. The larger is known as Giant American Crest, and the smaller American Miniature Crest. The American Giant Crest is a very large pigeon, weighing nearly two pounds. The Miniature Crest is identical except for size, weighing only one pound. The breast is very large, broad and deep. The head and neck are held back, giving the bird a proud over towering look The flesh bulges out on both sides of the keel, making the breast wider than the length of the body. The wings are held high, folded tightly, and are rather short, not extending far beyond the body. The short tail helps to give an even broader overall appearance. The legs are set wide apart, and are rather short, chubby, and tightly feathered. The crest is rather non-committal being neither a peak nor a shell crest, but about half way in between. When placing a finger on the bird's skull the crest feathers will snugly curl up and around it. In spite of their large size, this is a docile, friendly breed. They are just the right size to be easy to handle without fear of hurting them, making them a perfect bird pet.
They are available in a wide variety of colors including , blue, black, brown, ash red, recessive red and yellow, silver, almond, white, grizzle and splash.
The Giant American Crest is new to the list of pigeon breeds. In the early 1930's, a small group of breeders in the United States started to develop the breed that would come to be called The Giant American Crest. They formed a club to promote the development and name of the Giant American Crest. Herman Eric Buri became known as the “father” of the club, and consequently of the breed. The Mondain and Sottobauca and were used in the creation of the breed. By 1924 they were rarely seen at major shows. They no longer are sponsored by a specialty club devoted to them, ,and are subsequently sponsored by the Rare Breeds Club. The Giant variety is in the Utility group while the Miniature variety is in the Form group.
The National Pigeon Association recognized the Giant American Crest during the National Pigeon Association's convention in Philadelphia, in January 1940 adopting the name and standard of perfection concurrently. The standard has remained largely unchanged since that time.