{Homing pigeon}, a pigeon trained to return home from a
distance. Homing pigeons are used for sending back
messages or for flying races. By carrying the birds away
and releasing them at gradually increasing distances from
home, they may be trained to return with more or less
certainty and promptness from distances up to four or five
hundred miles. If the distance is increased much beyond
this, the birds are unable to cover it without stopping
for a prolonged rest, and their return becomes doubtful.
Homing pigeons are not bred for fancy points or special
colors, but for strength, speed, endurance, and
intelligence or homing instinct.