Because some lofts are closer to the race site than others, pigeons aren’t judged strictly on their finish times. Winners are determined by calculating how many yards per minute the bird flew from ...

Today, some countries still maintain pigeon lofts. Britain's Queen Elizabeth keeps 160 mature pigeons and 80 young birds in her Royal loft, according to the official website of the British Monarchy.

RANST, Belgium (AP) — Belgium's once pastoral pastime of pigeon racing has come to this: Drones swoop over lofts where valuable birds are housed to look for security weaknesses, laser sensors set off ...