what kind of bird is this?

[dinahmoe]

this little guy showed up this summer and hung around for about a week.it stayed near the horses's feed buckets so i am thinking it was hungry.i tossed it some scratch feed every morning.it let me get fairly close and it did have a leg band.
the only reason i am posting now is because my chickens are finally squared away and i am thinking of expanding my interests and then i remembered this fellow because it was so pretty.
can anyone tell me what it is?
should i have tried to catch it?

thanks

 

[aoxa]

I'm really not sure! It sure does have short legs though

 

[kidcody]

Beautiful pigeon!

 

[Chinchilla2]

Pigeon is my guess. With a leg band, it could have been an escapee from a breeder or one that got tired/lost on a flight back home. Pretty little thing!

 

[sourland]

It was a homing pigeon, and the color was grizzle.

 

[kidcody]

My neighbor has pigeons and it looks just like them.

 

[Sumatra503]

It's just a Racing Homer that got lost. I'm not sure of the color variety.

People race them over 100 miles sometimes and sometimes they get lost along the way.

 

[dinahmoe]

thanks guys,
if it happens again,is it "ok" to keep him,if i catch him.don't want to steal someones birds,ya know,or is it just always best to let them be.

 

[dinahmoe]

Quote:
so when you say get lost,what happens to them?do they find their way home eventually,predations,starvation?

sorry for all the questions but now i wish i had tried to catch it.

 

[rittert3]

They will find their way home eventually in most cases as well as, food, water, ect. along the way, I would under no circumstances catch and keep a banded bird.