Modena Pigeon: Breed Profile, Patterns, and Buying Guide

Author: Elliott Garber, DVM

The Modena is a short, stout, deep-chested ornamental pigeon from the city of Modena in northern Italy, instantly recognizable by its cobby compact body, broad rounded breast carried high, and bold upright stance. It is one of the most colorful and most popular show pigeons in the world, kept by fanciers for the exhibition bench rather than for racing. The breed splits into two pattern groups that every keeper learns first: Schietti (self colored, no white) and Gazzi (a white bird with a colored head, wings, and tail). This page covers what the Modena is, where it came from, how the Italian, English, and German lines differ, how to tell a Schietti from a Gazzi, the breed’s color range, and what to check before you buy one.

What is a Modena pigeon?

The Modena is a breed of fancy (ornamental) pigeon that takes its name from the city of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where its ancestors were bred and flown for centuries. The defining impression is shape: a Modena is a small, round, deep-bodied bird, very short in the body, with a broad full chest carried up and forward and a short tail held slightly raised. The National Modena Club of Great Britain sums up the ideal as “a bird of curves,” and that continuous curved outline is what judges reward on the show bench.

In practical terms, this is an exhibition pigeon. The modern Modena is bred and kept by fanciers to be looked at and shown, not flown competitively or worked. It is also one of the most colorful pigeon breeds in existence, which is a large part of why it has so many devotees. If you are still comparing breeds, the broader Creatures pigeon species page is a good place to see the Modena alongside other fancy pigeons.

One naming point worth getting straight early. The ancestral Italian bird is the Triganino Modenese (often just “Triganino”). The familiar large show bird most English-speaking fanciers picture is the English Modena, a heavier derived line. There is also a smaller German Modena. They share an origin and the same Schietti and Gazzi pattern logic, but they are distinct in size and type, and we separate them below.

Origin and history

Modena’s pigeon culture is genuinely old. The city has a documented tradition of competitive pigeon flying, a uniquely Italian sport, with the people devoted to it known as triganieri and the birds they used called triganini. Records of the flying game in Modena are commonly traced back to the early 1300s, and the breed’s reputation as an ancient Italian flying pigeon rests on that heritage rather than on a modern reconstruction.

For most of its history the Modena was a working and flying bird. The Triganino was used in the regional flying game and, into the early twentieth century, also served over short and medium distances as a message carrier. Over time, breeders crossed and selected it for a shorter body, a wider breast, and a wider palette of colors. As the bird became rounder and more cobby, its flying ability declined, and the Modena shifted decisively into an exhibition breed. Today it is kept almost entirely for show and as a pet.

The breed then spread out of Italy and split into recognizable national lines. It was imported into Germany in the 1870s, where breeders developed the smaller, slimmer German Modena. Shortly after, Italian and German stock reached Britain and the United States, where breeders, led in Britain by W. F. Holmes in the early 1900s, developed the larger, rounder English Modena and wrote the standard adopted by the National Modena Club of Great Britain. In North America, the National Modena Club has supported the breed since 1936 and is one of the largest specialty pigeon clubs on the continent.

Italian, English, and German Modenas

People often say “Modena” as if it is one bird. It is really a family of related lines, and knowing which one you are looking at saves a lot of confusion.

• Triganino Modenese (Italian). The original, ancestral form and the smallest and slimmest of the three. It retains more of the flying-bird build and is the breed from which the others descend.
• English Modena. The large, heavily curved show bird most fanciers picture when they hear “Modena.” It is bred to the National Modena Club standards and is notably bigger and rounder than the Italian original. This is the line described as “a bird of curves.”
• German Modena. A separate derived line developed in Germany from the 1870s, smaller and more horizontal in carriage than the English bird, and classed in European exhibition standards among the smaller utility-type pigeons.

All three carry the same two pattern groups (Schietti and Gazzi) and a similar broad color range, so the differences are mostly about size, body type, and which national standard the bird is bred and judged against. If a seller simply lists “Modena,” it is fair to ask which type they mean.

Schietti and Gazzi: the two pattern groups

The first thing every Modena keeper learns is the difference between the two marking groups. Almost everything else about the breed’s color is layered on top of this distinction.

• Schietti means “plain” or “self.” A Schietti Modena is a single, solid color over the whole bird with no white markings. A blue Schietti, for example, is blue all over (often with wing bars), and a red Schietti is red all over.
• Gazzi is a pied pattern. A Gazzi Modena is mostly white, with color confined to specific areas: the head and part of the throat, the wing shields, and the tail. The breast, belly, back, and flight feathers stay white. The colored “saddle” on the wings against a white body is the look most people first associate with the breed.

A useful shorthand: if the bird is one solid color, it is a Schietti; if it is white with neatly placed color on the head, wings, and tail, it is a Gazzi. Both groups appear across the breed’s full range of colors, so you can have a blue Schietti and a blue Gazzi, a red Schietti and a red Gazzi, and so on.

Color range

The Modena is famous for color. It is frequently cited as having one of the most extensive color ranges of any pigeon breed, with well over one hundred recognized colors and patterns spread across the Schietti and Gazzi groups, and some sources put the total even higher. Alongside the standard colors, the breed recognizes a distinctive group known as the Magnani colors, a set of richly toned varieties prized within the breed, present in both Schietti and Gazzi.

For a buyer, the practical takeaway is that “Modena” is not a color, it is a shape. Because the palette is so large, it pays to know the specific color and pattern (for example, blue Schietti or red Gazzi) you are looking for, and to judge a bird on its body type and curves first and its color second. A correct color on a poorly built bird will not win, and it will not breed well toward the standard.

What a Modena looks like

Strip away the color and the Modena is defined by a short, compact, rounded body and a confident upright posture. The diagnostic features are consistent across the lines:

• Short, cobby body. The body is very short front to back and deep through the chest, giving the bird a compact, chunky outline rather than the long, streamlined look of a racing pigeon.
• Broad, high chest. The breast is full, round, and carried high and forward, which is the single most important feature of show type. The English Modena ideal is built almost entirely around this curved, prominent chest.
• Short upturned tail and bold stance. The tail is short and held slightly raised, and the bird stands boldly with an alert, upright carriage. The whole silhouette should read as a series of smooth curves.
• Smooth, rounded head and short beak. The head is small, smooth, and rounded with a short beak, and the breed is plain-headed (no crest).

For size, the English Modena standard uses roughly nine inches (about 23 cm) as the approximate ideal height, and exhibition birds weigh on the order of 350 grams. The Italian Triganino is smaller and slimmer, and the German Modena is smaller again and more horizontal in carriage.

Temperament and keeping

Modenas are generally described by keepers as calm, hardy, and easy to handle, which fits a breed that spends its life being housed, shown, and bred rather than flown hard. As with any pigeon, temperament varies with handling and how much regular contact the birds get, and we flag this as fancier observation rather than a formally studied trait. Defer any health concern to an avian veterinarian.

Day to day, Modenas are kept much like other fancy pigeons. They need a dry, draft-free, predator-proof loft with enough perches and nest boxes, clean water, and a good pigeon grain mix supplemented with grit and minerals. Because the modern show Modena is a poor flyer, it is generally kept in the loft and aviary rather than let out to range, which means clean housing and parasite control matter even more than they would for a flying breed. Keeping clear records of each bird’s pedigree, pairings, color, and any health events is genuinely useful for breeding to the standard and for selling birds honestly later.

Cost and availability

The Modena is one of the more widely kept fancy pigeon breeds, so it is more available than many rare exhibition breeds, particularly in regions with active show circuits in Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and across Europe. That said, there is no single reliable public price for a Modena, and we will not invent one. Price depends heavily on the line (Triganino, English, or German), the color and pattern, how closely the bird matches the show standard, and the reputation of the breeder.

In broad terms, pet-quality or surplus young birds tend to be inexpensive, while top exhibition birds in sought-after colors from winning lofts command much more. Rather than chase a headline number, judge value on body type, curves, color correctness, health, and the breeder’s records. The most practical way to buy well is to connect with breeders through clubs and shows and to watch for birds in the specific color and pattern you want.

You can browse current Modena listings on the Creatures marketplace and look for breeders and lofts in the Creatures directory. If the exact color or line you want is not listed yet, a saved listing alert (below) is the simplest way to catch one when it is posted.

Buying considerations

Because the breed is all about shape and because “Modena” covers several distinct lines and a huge color range, buy on specifics, not on a single photo.

• Confirm the line. Ask whether the bird is an English Modena, a German Modena, or an Italian Triganino, since they differ in size and type and are judged against different standards.
• Judge the body first. A correct, deep, curved body with a high broad chest matters more than color. A good color on a poorly typed bird is not a good Modena.
• Know the pattern and color you want. Decide whether you are after a Schietti or a Gazzi and which specific color, then buy to that, given how large the palette is.
• Check health and condition in person where possible. Look for clean, bright eyes, smooth plumage, good weight, and steady breathing, and ask about the loft’s parasite and health management.
• Ask for records. Pedigree, color, pairings, and any show results tell you far more than appearance alone, and a serious breeder will have them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Schietti and a Gazzi Modena?
A Schietti is a self colored bird: one solid color all over with no white. A Gazzi is pied: mostly white, with color limited to the head and part of the throat, the wing shields, and the tail. Both occur in the full range of Modena colors.

Is the Modena an Italian, English, or German breed?
It is Italian in origin, from the city of Modena, where the ancestral Triganino Modenese was bred and flown. The English Modena and German Modena are larger and smaller derived lines developed later in Britain and Germany from that Italian stock.

Can Modena pigeons fly well?
The ancestral Triganino was a flying breed, but generations of selection for a short, cobby show body have reduced flying ability. Modern show Modenas, especially English Modenas, are kept as exhibition birds and pets rather than as flyers.

How many colors do Modenas come in?
A very large number. The breed is often cited as having one of the widest color ranges of any pigeon, with well over a hundred recognized colors and patterns across the Schietti and Gazzi groups, including the distinctive Magnani colors.

Are Modenas good pets for a beginner pigeon keeper?
They are a reasonable choice. They are hardy, calm, and widely available, and they are kept much like other loft pigeons. A beginner should plan for a dry predator-proof loft, a good grain and grit diet, parasite control, and a relationship with an avian veterinarian.

Which clubs set the Modena standard?
In North America, the National Modena Club has supported the breed since 1936. In Britain, the National Modena Club of Great Britain maintains the English Modena standard. European exhibition standards also recognize the German Modena.

Do this next on Creatures

Whether you are researching the breed, hunting for a particular color and pattern, or already keeping Modenas, Creatures is the records, marketplace, and directory layer to do it in one place.

If you keep a loft, you can also list your birds in the wider Creatures pigeon community and cross-reference related breeds like the Damascus pigeon while you decide what to add to your collection.