The Life for Falcons Project took part in the Anniversary Meeting of the High-flying Pigeon Federation in Bulgaria

Apr. 24, 2025

With a dazzling celebration, the Federation of High-Flying Pigeons in Bulgaria marked its 20th anniversary and awarded the champions of the 2024 competition season. Currently, the Federation unites 39 clubs with a total of over 2,000 members, more than 300 of whom gathered on March 29 in Plovdiv to take part in the event.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Federation and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), a special guest at the anniversary was the Slovenian company AviRings, which presented its innovative rings for high-flying pigeons. This cutting-edge technology records flight time and altitude for each individual bird in real time (with an accuracy of up to 1 meter and a range of 5 km). The software can simultaneously monitor 10 or more birds, allowing judges to track competitions remotely with precise accuracy. After the flight, a detailed report is generated with all flight characteristics, altitude, and trajectory, making high-flying pigeon competitions more exciting and engaging.

President Mr. Dimitar Ivanov presented the Federation’s goals and strategies for the coming years, some of which involve measures to protect high-flying pigeons from falcons and other birds of prey. “We must protect the raptors because none of us wants them to be killed.

Through projects and practices from across Europe, we aim to safeguard both the falcons and other protected species,” stated Mr. Ivanov. Following this, BSPB introduced the audience to good practices aimed at reducing attacks by birds of prey on pigeons. “The method is used throughout Europe, though it doesn’t guarantee 100% protection. When falcons are hungry – they attack. Many people doubt that a solution exists, but it does, and we must look for ways to protect both pigeons and falcons,” emphasized Dr. Stoyan Nikolov. BSPB also distributed protective kits for pigeons to each club.

Last but not least, the Federation, BSPB, and AviRings launched a joint campaign titled “High and Safe,” which was announced at the meeting and officially began on April 1 (International Bird Day). The aim of the campaign is to promote responsible behavior among pigeon fanciers and the use of legal methods for preventing attacks from birds of prey, through the format of a high-altitude flight competition.