New findings on pied marking in pigeons

Regular pied marking already appears in illustrations by MARCUS ZUM LAMM with shield and swallow pigeons as well as coloured heads around 1600. A regular pied marking, which breeds not true, was also discovered early on. Magpies in some breeds, but not in all, split from magpie parents into white, white-flights and magpies. The inheritance described by ERICH KLEIN 1941, but still no clarity about the anchoring of the inheritance in the genome.

Fig. 1: Inheritance of magpies that do not breed true (Klein 1941)

After crosses with selfs, it takes a long period of selection before the magpies reliably split out again according to the pattern shown. In the first cross with selfs, mainly coloured birds with more or less white flights, which seemed to support the assumption that these feather patches follow a dominant inheritance.

Fig. 2: Pomeranian Magpie Tumbler hen x Self Homer cock and F₁ (centre) and selected F₂ (right). Source: Sell, Pigeon Genetics, Achim 2012

Findings are repeatedly called into question by other observations and show that the relationships are more complex and general claims are dangerous. Surprisingly, young birds with white primaries then emerge from supposedly pure self families, such as the ashen white female shown here from Spread ash parents and the black young bird with white flights interspersed with a few coloured feathers from self black parents.

Fig. 3: White Flights from a self Spread Ash couple and a self black couple

Pied markings were already analysed more than 100 years ago by CHRISTIE AND WRIEDT in extensive test pairings. From the documented results of the F₁, F₂and back mating to the parents, they concluded that some genes responsible for different colour areas were linked (CHRISTIE and WRIEDT 1923, 1927).

Fig. 4: Crosses of Shield Pigeons and Recessive Magpies (Danish Tumblers) at

Christie and Wriedt 1923. Source: Sell, Pigeon Genetics, Achim 2012

Later experiments by pigeon breeders led to the hypothesis of a common pied factor pi (pied) for different variants, which, together with other modifying factors, produces the diversity of pied markings (LARRY CHESLING 1986, 1987). The research group led by M. SHAPIRO recently came to a similar conclusion for the pied variants they investigated, using molecular genetics (E. T. MACLARY et al. 2023). On the EDNRB2 locus, they detected a sequence of different haplotypes (nucleotide sequence composed of alleles of several genes) for piebalds. According to this, even the common haplotype has different variants. The problem of deciphering the code for pied variants thus becomes more complex and cannot be solved with traditional breeding experiments. For the study, crosses of Old Dutch Capuchin X self-coloured and vice versa were carried out, as well as a cross with a self-coloured Racing Homer cock with an Old German Shield Owl hen. The F₂ from these crosses was analysed. The results are not easy to trace, as the results of earlier crosses, such as those of the cheek marked bagdettes and pied pouters (Pomeranian), are also included in the analysis.

Fig. 5: Pieds and non-pied crossing partners (Gimpel and Racing Homer) in the investigation Maclary et al. 1923

The methodical procedure cannot be copied for all pieds, because in some of them the F₁ is so inconsistent that the selection of breeding stock for the F₂becomes a problem. This is the case with the cross of a white bell-necked cock with a self-coloured ashy hen in the own loft shown in the book "Pigeon Genetics" and, in German language, in "Genetik der Taubenfärbungen". From almost coloured selfs to completely white and correct gansel cheek marking, everything is there. Still a playground for breeders interested in experimenting.

Fig. 6: Splitting off in the F₁at the cross of a bellneck Tumbler with a Spread Ash Pomeranian Eye-Crested Highflyer hen in the own loft.

Literature:

Chesling, Larry, On Pied Pigeons, comment Pigeon Science and Genetics News, Views, & Comments issue 16, December 1986, p. 18, issue 17, March 1987, pp. 23-24.

Christie, W. und Chr. Wriedt, Charaktere bei der Perückentaube, dem Kalottentümmler und dem Brünner Kröpfer, Zeitschrift für induktive Abstammungs- und Vererbungslehre 1927, S. 334-367.

Christie, W. und Chr. Wriedt, Die Vererbung von Zeichnungen, Farben und anderen Charakteren bei Tauben, Zeitschrift für induktive Abstammungs- und Vererbungslehre 32 (1923), S. 233-298.

Klein, Erich, Die Taubenzucht, Leipzig 1941.

Maclary, Emily T. et al., An allelic series at the EDNRB2 locus controls diverse piebalding patterns in the domestic pigeon, PLOS Genetics, Oct. 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37862332/

Marcus zum Lamm, Die Vogelbücher aus dem Thesaurus pictuarum/ Marcus zum Lamm (1544-1606). Hrsg. mit Interpretationen und Kommentar von Ragnar K. Kinzelbach und Jochen Hölzmeier, Stuttgart (Hohenheim), Ulmer 2001.

Sell, Axel, Genetik der Taubenfärbungen, Achim 2015.

Sell, Axel, Pigeon Genetics. Applied Genetics in the Domestic Pigeon, Achim 2012, https://www.taubensell.de

Sell, Axel, Tauben. Züchten mit System, Reutlingen 1995.