Berne Tiger-Head
The Berne tiger-head is a Swiss fancy pigeon from the Bern group, named for a mottled or tigered head pattern rather than for any wild ancestry. The body is that of a domestic rock pigeon breed: modest in size, smooth-feathered, clean-legged, and bred for show pen presentation. In well-marked birds the head carries the speckled contrast expected by the standard while the remaining color areas stay orderly. Black, blue, red, yellow or dilute, grizzle, and related pigeon color families may appear in different national lists.
Selection in tiger-head pigeons can be slow because the best pattern is not always obvious in the nest. Juvenile feathers may change during the first molt, and flecking that looks attractive can become too heavy or too sparse as the bird matures. Practical care is the same as for other fancy pigeons: dry ventilation without drafts, a dependable grain and legume mix, grit, and clean bathing water. Breeders should keep enough unrelated birds to avoid narrowing a small variety around a fashionable head pattern.
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
