PHENOTYPIC CHARACTERISTICS AND BIOMETRICAL STUDY ON DIFFERENT BREEDS OF PIGEON IN NORTHERN BANGLADESH.

The experiment was conducted to characterize different breeds of pigeon phenotypically and to study their body biometry, which are available in the northern Bangladesh. During this study 30 farms were selected which have >20 pair of pigeons in the three study area namely Rajshahi, Natore and Pabna districts of Bangladesh. There about 15 breeds have been selected for the observation of phenotypic characteristics such as color of bill, eye, eyelid, skin, shank, toe, egg, head feather, neck feather, body feather, down feather, wing feather, tail feather and shape of bill, body and egg. The biometrical data were collected from the measurement of length of bill, head, body, shank, middle toe, wingspan and mature body weight. In this study the highest mean bill length was found 2.83±0.05cm in Strasser and lowest mean head length 5.00±0.00cm in Kormona, Nun and Jacobin. The highest mean body length was found 41.60±0.38cm in Strasser and lowest mean body length 30.00±0.43cm in Owl. The highest mean wingspan was found 81.00±0.51cm in Jacobin and lowest mean wingspan 60.45±0.76cm in kormona. The heighest mean shank length was found 3.40±0.13cm in Homer and lowest mean shank length 2.50±0.00cm in Giribug, Kormona, Nun, Satinette and Suachandan. The heighest mean middle toe length was found 4.40±0.05cm in pouter and lowest mean middle toe length 3.00±0.00cm in kormona. The heighest mean mature body weight was found 748.20±8.96gm in Strasser and lowest mean mature body weight 265.10±7.03gm in Giribug. Phenotypic correlation among bill length, head length, body length, wing span, shank length, middle toe length and mature body weight of these breeds of pigeon ranged from 0.233 to 0.789. The experiment's result may contribute to breed up gradation, helps to formulate the conservation and improvement strategies for the breed as genetic resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]