First it was for camels, then for goats and now a pageant for pigeons! The Saudi Club at Qatif in the Eastern Province kicked off Thursday its first domestic bird show in which more than 400 competitors displayed around 600 pigeons. Wajeeh Saleh, head of the club's Media Committee, said the two-day competition was the first of its kind in the Eastern Province and has attracted hundreds of bird breeders from the Kingdom and abroad, including Bahrain and Kuwait. Saleh said the price of pigeons in the show ranged between SR1,000 and SR15,000, depending on the breed. A pair of Bakhari pigeons would cost SR1,500 to SR15,000, he said, with Bufuta pigeons at 1,500 to 8,000, American Shamasi 1,000 to 4,000, Frasha 1,000 to 5,000, Uzbeki 1,000 to 3,500, and Wing Fais from between SR1,000 and SR15,000. Saleh said the jury panel consisted of nationals from Bahrain and Kuwait with the selection of jurors based on experience and participation numbers. The winning birds, to be announced Friday, are selected according to size of beak, eyes and leg feathers, and winning owners will be awarded with cups, shields and medals. Last year's, owners of pedigree “Najdi” goats from around the Gulf region converged on Riyadh, hoping to win the prize for top male and female goat, following in the footsteps of lucrative camel competitions which have taken off in recent years.
