View source for Voorburg Shield Cropper

{{Short description|Breed of pigeon}}
{{Infobox pigeon breed|name=Voorburg Shield Cropper|image=Voorburger Schildkröpfer gelb.jpg|imagecaption=|country=[[Netherlands]]}}
The '''Voorburg Shield Cropper''' is a [[breed]] of [[fancy pigeon]] developed over many years of [[selective breeding]]. Being [[Domestic pigeon|domesticated pigeons]], Voorburg Shield Croppers are descendants of the [[rock dove]] (''Columba livia'').<ref name="Levi">{{cite book |last=Levi |first=Wendell |title= The Pigeon|year= 1977|publisher= Levi Publishing Co, Inc|location= Sumter, S.C.|isbn=0-85390-013-2 }}</ref> This breed was developed by C.S. Theodore Van Gink at [[Voorburg]] in the Netherlands in 1935.<ref>Seymour, Rev. Colin (Ed)(2006) ''Australian Fancy Pigeons National Book of Standards''.</ref> "Shield" refers to the wing shields, the [[covert feather]]s covering the wings, which according to the [[Breed standard|standard]], are the only pigmented feathers visible on an alighted bird.<ref name="Standard"/> Their enlarged necks, referred to as a "globe", is actually a [[Crop (anatomy)|crop]] that is inflated; all [[pigeon]]s inflate their crops to [[Bird vocalization|vocalize (coo)]], but [[Pouter|croppers and pouters]] maintain the inflation of their crops due to a behavioral quirk selected through [[artificial selection]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Voorburg Cropper |url=https://pigeoncote.com/lancast/lancas10.html |website=pigeoncote.com |publisher=John Verburg |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>





Their [[National Pigeon Association|NPA]] standard for their behavior reads:
{{Quote box| quote =Unconstrained, smooth and frolicsome, with a lively bump of curiosity, it stands and moves in an upright position with the eyes directly over the center of the feet. When courting, the cock spreads its tail in a fan-like manner and moves in a hopping motion; the hen, when flirting,, may behave similarly. In flight, both sexes clap their wings above their backs. The Voorburg Shield Cropper is a very friendly, animated pigeon that is quite responsive to human voices and attention. In show condition, it should give a constant, active performance.
| source =<ref name="Standard"/>}}
Due to being the standard, the breed is well known for its friendliness to humans, its lively mannerisms, and affectionate nature. During [[Animal show|showing]], the birds "should give a constant, active performance" to the judges, which is the same display they would perform in [[Courtship display|courtship]] towards other pigeons.<ref name="Standard">{{cite web |title=The Voorburg Cropper: NPA Standard 1993 |url=https://www.pigeoncote.com/standards/voorburg/npavoor.html |website=pigeoncote.com |publisher=John Verburg |access-date=30 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rikus |first1=Hagenauw |title=Talking with: Rikus Hagenauw from Peize, (the Netherlands), Successful breeder of Voorburg Shield Croppers |url=http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/16E04A02.pdf |website=aviculture-europe.nl |publisher=Aviculture-Europe Foundation |issn=2352-2445 |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of pigeon breeds]]

==References==
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== External links ==
* {{cci}}

[[Category:Pigeon breeds originating in the Netherlands]]


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