These next few pages are designed for one thing only - to provide the common names for many of the colors and patterns that pigeons come in.   I'm making no effort here to discuss their genetics.  This is simply for fanciers, young and old, who may be new to the pigeon hobby and who just want to know "What color is my bird?" 

Remember, while I'm giving the most common names used in the North American hobby, that different breeds may have their own special terminology for a color -- some of these terms go back centuries and they are part and parcel of the hobby and a lot of fun in their own right.  There's also some minor differences in spelling between the U.S. and the U.K. and Australia.  For example: checker = chequer, but those are easily understood. Here, I'm just going to be using the names most often used to describe Birmingham Rollers and/or Racing Homers since those are two of the most common breeds raised.

            
Both birds are in their juvenile plumage.


Both birds are in their juvenile plumage.



This red baldhead bird is in adult plumage - note the iridescence on the neck.



Both birds are in juvenile plumage.


Blue Bar Badge bred by Zoran Gregoric
(if this bird had a fully white head with no dark feather mixed in, it would be called a Blue Bar Baldhead)
In common pigeon fancier terminology, "baldhead" always includes white flights and white tail as part of the marking as well.