Gimpel

The Gimpel, widely known in English as the Archangel, is a color pigeon noted for intense metallic sheen. Traditional birds have a bronze or gold body with contrasting wings, often black, white, or blue, and some lines are crested while others are plain-headed. The breed has old Central and southeastern European roots, with German fanciers refining many color forms under the name Gimpeltaube.

Gimpels are kept mainly for exhibition and ornamental breeding, where color quality is the central challenge. The metallic body color, wing contrast, eye, beak, crest if present, and clean feather condition all matter. Management is ordinary pigeon care, but breeding requires patience because sheen and color boundaries can shift through matings. Buyers should learn the color terminology used by their local club, since Archangel and Gimpel names are applied differently in some countries.

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