EXPRESSION on a performing roller.  By Marshall Duncan

        I’ve had a few fanciers inquire about “expression” in flying rollers.  As we all know, this is not  an easy subject to speak on.  Nevertheless, I’m going to attempt to give my views and understanding on this subject. 

        According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of expression is:  A showing of feeling or character, or a look that conveys meaning or feeling.  If you take that definition and apply it to a good roller, you can begin to visualize the meaning.

        You should be able to notice or recognize good expression on a roller upon approach, without ever even having to handle him.  The bird with good expression looks ALERT, not nervous or “spooky”, but ALERT.  And he gives you the impression that he’s “happy” and “in-charge”.  Regardless of color, the eye should be sharp, with well-defined lines.  The more brilliant the eye is, the more proof that the pigeon has good blood-flow through its eye muscles.  When raising true spinners, eye muscles are an important factor to consider.  Without strong eye muscles, a true spinner has a very good chance of  “rolling blood in its eye”.  I know a lot of people love to see this and say “that shows the ultimate spin”, well, this is only partly true. Granted, a bird rolling fast enough to blow an eye, is more than likely spinning, but this doesn’t have to happen.  In most cases that “blown eye” is actually a weak eye muscle that allowed a blood vessel to break in the eye during the spin.  Nonetheless, a spin is still a spin!

        Pupil placement is another major factor to consider when defining “expression” and/or “eye sign”.  You want the bird to have as close to perfect centering as possible.  Usually a bird with an off-centered pupil, especially when the pupil is “forward and down”, denotes DEPTH in roll.  And if you’re not careful can lead to roll-downs.  My personal preference is a well-centered, medium-sized pupil, with maybe a “shadow” at the forward bottom of the pupil.  When looking at the bull-eyed pigeon, its almost impossible to get a true reading of pupil location, but there’s still character and alertness that can be seen without the luxury of a clear, clean-cut colored eye.  So the bull-eyed pigeon is definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to looking at expression.

        When thinking of “expression”, a good comparison to make is simply that of another human being.  You can usually look at a person and tell, (or get a pretty good idea), of if he’s sick, tired, upset, or even “crazy”, or in roller lingo, “UNSTABLE”!  You can look in a pigeon’s eyes and basically get the same definitions.  If a bird has those little “beady” looking pupils, you can almost bet that he’s going to be on the “wild” side, (kind of like some people we know).  If the eyes have a dull appearance, he’s probably a little sickly, not meaning he’s got a disease, but probably a result of over in-breeding or worms, or something of that nature.  If the pupils are too big, it can mean something else, and so on… and so on…

        When looking at a bird’s expression you want him to tell you:  “I’m intelligent”, “I’m wide awake”, “I have style”, “I have good depth”, “I have superior speed”, “I have good stamina”, all-in-all…”I’m a “helluva” spinner!”  On the other hand , the bird can tell you:  “I’m tired”, “I’m weak”, “I’m sickly”, “I’m wild”, or simply… “I’m “outta” control!”  All of these tell-tale signs can be seen in a bird’s eyes.  So remember…there’s a lot to be seen in a pigeon, just by looking at its “EXPRESSION”.