Stralsund Highflyer
Stralsund highflyer is a German regional flying pigeon named for Stralsund, a Baltic port city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is part of the highflyer and tumbler family of domestic pigeons, descended from Columba livia but selected for staying aloft, working in a kit and returning reliably to its home loft. Compared with heavily ornamented fancy pigeons, the traditional Stralsund highflyer is valued for an athletic body and practical flying character.
Management depends on whether a line is still flown or kept mostly for exhibition. Flying birds need a regular loft routine, light but adequate feeding, young-bird training and careful judgment about weather and raptors. A show-only loft should still avoid obesity, because highflyer type is built on stamina and balance. Breeders interested in conservation of the strain should ask older fanciers about performance history as well as color and type; once the flying habit is lost, it is difficult to rebuild from appearance alone.
Colors: Almond, Ash Red, Bar, Barless, Black, Blue, Brown, Checker, Dilute, Dun, Grizzle, Indigo, Mottle, Opal, Pied, Recessive Red, Red, Silver, Splash, Spread, White, Yellow
