A small white pigeon raised its head from between Terry Gier’s fingers. It’s a Valencian Figurita, he said, first bred in Spain centuries ago. Behind him, around 20 other pigeons lounged in cages — ...

To the untrained eye, it might look like Smetana has simply let his birds fly free, never to return. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

This guide provides advice on handling stray racing pigeons including identification, dealing with injured and uninjured pigeons and contacting the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA). If a member ...