Iranian Flyers Info
Some information I’ve collected from the internet... this page updated 10 /08 /11
Map of Iran.., formerly a part of Persia. With the city of Tehran in the northwest sector.
Some say that the Iranian High Flyer may have a wingspread of up to 30", yet the body isn’t much bigger than a Birmingham Roller. Some say the term roller is inappropriate in that it is an endurance flyer and not really breed for rolling. And that it took a completely different evolutionary path as time has passed, than say for a Tippler, Cumulet or some of the other breeds used to develop today IHF. With a wing and skeletal structure more resembling a hawk than a pigeon. In other words, this breed is meant to soar.
They do perform the occasional flip when flying, but nothing like that of a Birmingham Roller. The best birds tend to rise above the rest of the kit, to show off their expertise in rolling and flipping talents. The flying characteristic of the Iranian High Flyer is that of a soaring bird, with a slower wing beat than most other flying breeds of pigeons. When old enough (and this may take over a year) they gain altitude quickly and to day some have been reported from Tehran to fly as long as 12-15 hours at a time. Again, unlike the Birmingham Roller, this flight is of the soaring style, straight up over their home loft and not the long sweeping circles around the loft. These flights may take them up into the clouds and sometimes even out of sight. Which is why one has to be watchful of the day length, before turning their High Flyers out to soar up in the sky. Even in Iran, as well as other countries of the old Persia, they do most of their training and flying contest in mid-summer, when the days are at their longest. Birds that are flying after dark, run a great risk of losing their way back down to their home loft, another reason for breeding for homing instinct
The Iranian High Flyer comes in various patterns as well as solid colors. There are shield marked, almond spotting on white, grizzled on the head and neck or over the entire body. As well as the self blacks, reds and of course the whites. Some show the bald heads with blue bars or almost any color of the body. Since the Iranian High Flyer is really a mixture of many breeds down over the years, they were breed for the flight and not for their coloring or looks. Which is why there is no breed standard and you can find them with grouse leg and foot feathers. And some strains even have a nice crest on their head. It appears that the different cities of Iran, produced their own strains/ types of birds. Which is why the background/ breeding of the Iranian High Flyer is so varied. To me, their heads and feet seem to tell of the cities/ areas they came from, as do their beaks and head shape (with or without crest) seem to tend towards a certain area of Iran. Some say the beaks should be medium to short, short being preferred, but either way they have no problems whatsoever in feeding their young and are very good parents.
This is a beautiful bird with a very graceful look. The cock birds tend to be larger and more powerful looking than the hens. And often times when I look at them (depending on their stance at the time), they look almost like a very colorful hawk. They say a well bred Iranian High Flyer, is bred to fly high and long, be able to roll and have good homing instinct, as well as have a good resistance to disease. What more…, could one want in a beautiful bird.
