The First Worldwide Serbian Highflier Club - WWSH Club - Since April 16th 2004   ~ Prvi Svetski Srpskovisokletački Klub - WWSH Klub - Osnovan Aprila 16. 2004 godine

Serbian Highflier  

Fotografija iz 1920. godine koju vidite [gore] odslikava sve znacajno što je postojalo u srpskom golubarstvu tj. sve videnije odgajivace tog vremena. Fotografiju je napravio Slavko Vasiljkovic sa Bulbudera, osnivac odredenog tipa golubova koji se zvao bulbuderski šarac. Ovaj golub je bio karakteristican po raznim bojama perja medu kojima je dominirala plavkasta nijansa dok mu je glava bila bela. Najpoznatiji beogradski golubar [treci sdesna u donjem redu] bio je poznat pod nadimkom  "Tišljer". Izuzetno važna figura srpskog golubarstva je bio i Andra Bihel [peti sa desne strane u gornjem redu], beogradski boem i bogataš, vlasnik puškarske radionice u Balkanskoj ulici, takode poznat i kao lovac.* . Prvi sa leve strane stoji Laza "Pace" sa Pašinom brda a takode u gornjem redu, [sa frizurom koja nalikuje šeširu], je Karlo Bihel.

Brief History

  Recently history of Serbian Highfliers  were insufficiently investigation. It suppose then breed began from Turkish pigeons ( which Turks brought in Serbia when they occupy Serbia  in middle ages) who were cross breed with highfliers from Hungary and Greece.
 Searching origin of Serbian Highfliers  Jovan Martinovic has came to sensational discovery  : Serbian Highfliers ancestor is Illyrian Pigeon ( Columba Illyrica ). After the end of Babylonian Empire, a group of tribes came via Asia Minor and Trakia, in area of Balkan. From Greeks and Roman later on, these people accept a name Illyrians. Illyrians had brought the old Babylonian holy breed with them to their new home. The Illyrian state was quit large, stretching  to the Adriatic coast in the west,  northwards to the northern borders of today's Slovenia and Croatia, in the east to the River Danube and western Moldavia ,and in the south to the Kosovo .
In 6th century the Southern Slavs migrated to this region and found there the holy Pigeons with  lustrous and shiny plumage and were fascinated by this breed. The Slavs gave the breed new name  Archangel  Pigeon. In 13th and 14th century the Illyrian Pigeon was bred as Archangel Pigeon in Serbian monasteries.
In 1389 an invading Ottoman army inflicted heavy casualties on the Serbian army, leading to the subsequent conquest of all Serbia by the Ottoman Empire in 1459 and driving many Serbs northward. On this migration Serbs brought Archangel pigeons and spread them to the north.
During occupation period Turks brought pigeons from their homes, mostly Tumblers ( pigeons without crest)  to Serbia. After crossed  of Turkish pigeons  and Illyrian Pigeons, creation of Serbian  Highfliers has began. In those times, Serbian Highfliers  are bred mostly in a towns, such as Belgrade, Nis, Smederevo, Krusevac..... Turks also adopted those pigeons and  called them "faslije" or " tafesi " which means pigeons with crest.
During creation process of Serbian Highflier, fanciers tried to made pigeon who will fly  in circles, high and long . They are also removed all pigeons which are tumbled during flight. Fanciers didn't watch too much why pigeons look like. Because of that they bred pigeons in all colors and patterns,  there are also exited few variations and models  of these pigeons. All these circumstances  made  impossible writing of Serbian Highfliers standard for a long time.  
First standard of Serbian Highfliers  were  published in 1972. In January 1973 Serbian Highfliers were presented on international pigeon show in Sombor. 
Present  Serbian Highflier resembles the Illyrian Pigeon somewhat in body, head with peak crest and also in the dark bronze color.

All information in " Brief History " are taken from book Flying Pigeons, by Josip Pekanovic.  More information about training and flight of Serbian Highfliers you can find in book  "GOLUBOVI LETACI"  (Flying Pigeons ) by Josip Pekanovic.This book  Josip Pekanovic, from Sombor , was published in 1995. 

Serbian Highfliers today

General attributes for this breed are :

* High flight ( prescribe with statutes )

* Long flight ( four hours minimum )

* circled flight ( circles are from fifty to two hundred meters in diameter)

* group flight (  flock contain from five to fourteen fliers )

For our climate favorable conditions for highflier's flight are the temperature between 18 and 30 degree and  north-west wind ( speed till 1 meter per second ). Competitions flock starts flight very briskness, in circles (circles are from fifty to two hundred meters in diameter). This flight have tendency of uninterrupted elevation. Competition flock must contain at least five fliers. After 30 minutes of flight pigeons should be in prescribe altitude, if they don't reach this altitude for two hours they are immediately disqualify. Prescribe altitude is altitude when you don't see pigeon's work of wings, they are showing up only as tiny specks . On this altitude flock must stay at least four hours, average flight can continue between 5 and 7 hours. However, when the weather conditions are good, altitude of  Serbian Highfliers flight can be between 800 and 1500 meters. On that altitude pigeons disappearing into clouds, behind clouds or even go out of sight into clear sky. This flight in invisibility can continue between 2.5 and 5 hours. After that time become squandering of cometiton flock in small groups or flock keep flying down in entirety. Downfall can be sharply, progressively or in restorable position. Downfall usually take from 15 minutes till 2 hours. Restorable down fall  is flight where pigeons change altitude to down several times before  landing.

Young Serbian Highfliers with proper training, in first flying season can fly from 3 till 6 hours. The best result you can expecting when they are three or four years old (till 15 hours of non-stop flight). In Yugoslavia various clubs of Serbian Highflier fanciers stage many competition annually in flights of well trained flocks whose quality is primary judged by the number of hours what they spent in prescribe altitude. First club for Serbian Highfliers was founded in Belgrade in 1910.

Serbian Highfliers are also expose on exhibitions in two categories : sport and standard. In category sport estimate mostly depend of pigeon's flying record ( maximum 80 points) and only smaller part depend of pigeon's outwards appearance ( maximum 20 points). In category standard estimate only depend of pigeon's outwards appearance.

Standard of Serbian Highflier

The most important attributes for this breed of pigeon are :

a) high flight

b) long flight

c) group and circled flight

d) general appearance

Country of origin: Serbia, Yugoslavia.

General Appearance: Small to medium compact pigeon with flat vertical crest. Lively appearance as if ready to fly.

Head: Long and narrow with pronounced flatness on top. Forehead to angle down in line with the beak. Crest to be flat across back of skull reaching to just above top of head.

Beak: Medium long angled downward and slightly curved. Top mandible to be in line with forehead. Stained in dark colored birds. All others to be clear. Ceres to be fine and colored in accordance with color of bird.

Body: To be short and stout. Solid and well muscled. Short keel. Feathering to be tight with no gaps.

Eyes: Pearl with as little gravel as possible, Eyes to be centered just in front of the middle of the skull. White or Baldest may be Bull eyed. Ceres to be fine and colored in accordance with color of bird.

Neck: Rather stout. Tapering slightly from body to head. Length of neck to be in proportion to body.

Tail: Short and close with good webbing. 12-16 tail feathers, carried just off the ground.

Wings: Long, to reach tip of tail with strong and prominent wing buts. Carried above the tail. Flights broad and over lapping with good cover.

Size: 6-9 ounces. Short keeled.

Legs and Feet: Clean legged. Skin to be light red in color.

Colors and Markings: All colors and patterns are acceptable. Pattern not to effect quality.

Faults: Feathers on legs, rounded head, over long or thin in body, long keel, overlarge size, eye color other than Pearl or Bull in White and Baldest,   any evidence of being crossed to other breeds.