Blog · 1 min read

How to read a pedigree before you bid

28 October 2026The ElitePigeonsAuction team

A pedigree tells you where a pigeon comes from. But it is only worth something if you know where to look. These are the three things we check on every lot before it goes live.

1. The ring number

The ring gives the country, the year and the bird’s number. In BE 25-6123456, BE is Belgium, 25 is 2025, and the rest is its number. The same number must be on the pedigree and on the photo of the ring.

2. Parents and grandparents

Check that the parents have ring numbers and results of their own. A famous name without a ring number proves nothing.

Ask about every result: which race, how many kilometres, how many birds, which place.

3. Race results

12th of 1,846 birds is a stronger result than 3rd of 60. Always look at the number of birds next to the place.