Two recent Belgian auctions of racing pigeons have brought in hundreds of thousands of euros, based on heavy bidding by wealthy Chinese buyers.
The sale of a 218-bird colony has yielded a world-record 1.368 million euros. A single bird named Blue Prince went for 156,000 euros.
The collection had belonged to the late Pros Roosen, a Belgian pigeon enthusiast. The birds have already been transported to their new owners in China.
The auctions confirm Belgium as the age-old breeding hub of the birds and China as the new centre of demand.
In pigeon racing, birds are released up to 1,000 kilometres from their lofts. The bird that flies back fastest wins.
The sport has spread from its origins as a working-class pastime in Western Europe and developed a cachet in modern-day China, which escaped the brunt of the global financial crisis and is now spending passionately on pigeons.
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