Rare pigeon species that looks like an alien

The Budapest Bug-Eye Pigeon is a rare breed of pigeon, famous for its peculiar, almost alien-like appearance, with its bulging eyes, small beak, and triangular head.

The Poltl brothers, a family of pigeon racing enthusiasts from Budapest, began creating a new breed of pigeon in the early 1900s using selective breeding to obtain high-flying birds with high strength. unmatched durability.

They managed to achieve their goal, because the Budapest bug-eyed pigeon can fly up to 5 hours without rest and fly a distance of about 800 km.

However, those who see it for the first time are less interested in its ability to fly and more interested in its unique appearance.

The small face and beak, as opposed to the bulging frog-like eyes, intrigue or frighten people, but it also draws their attention.

It is unclear why the Poltl brothers used these almost caricature-like physical features when creating this rare breed of pigeon.

Some speculate that their extremely short beaks and small faces have made them lighter, while their large eyes help them to fly higher, but no one really knows for sure what the exact reason is.

Budapest Bug-Eye Pigeon.

What we do know is that this unusual appearance sets them apart from so many other pigeons.

Because many people think that the Budapest bug-eyed pigeon doesn't look really "cute". However, it is the fact that these unusual physical features are its undeniable highlight.

In fact, these traits are part of the reason why this breed of pigeon is so rare, even for dedicated pigeon keepers.

Simply put, young Budapest bug-eyed pigeons are often difficult to hatch from their eggs because of their small beaks and large eyes that act as a cushion whenever they try to peck at the eggshell.

Because the mortality rate of this breed is so high, pigeon breeders will often take the eggs and attempt to remove the chick before it dies from internal exhaustion.

As you can imagine, knowing the exact time this rare pigeon's eggs hatch requires meticulous recording during incubation.

Not to mention that even when the eggs of this pigeon species hatch, due to the small beaks of both parents, feeding is very difficult and sometimes requires human intervention.

Today, the Budapest bug-eyed pigeon is more popular as a pet than the racing pigeon.