MALAPPURAM: For some, pigeons are birds that flutter between cages and street corners. For others, they are creatures of the open sky. For Shanavas, a native of Tirur, they are competitors trained to test the limits of endurance and speed.
In racing circles, his birds are known for their stamina. Last week, one of his prized pigeons etched its name in Kerala’s pigeon racing community by completing an extraordinary journey. Released from Mumbai, the bird flew nearly 1,000km to Tirur in just 16 hours, a rare feat in long-distance pigeon racing.
Shanavas insists the milestone was no stroke of luck. It was the outcome of years of disciplined training, selective breeding, scientific feeding patterns, and relentless practise. Each pigeon undergoes structured flight sessions, with distances gradually increased to build stamina and sharpen navigational instincts.
“From a young age, I was fond of pigeons. I began rearing them in 2018. In the first year, I was like any other bird keeper. They were either in cages or wandering around my house. In 2021, I joined the Malabar Racing Pigeon Club. That was when I started learning seriously about racing pigeons. From then on, I became deeply interested in training them for long-distance flights,” the 49-year-old said.
Training began with short flights around nearby areas before gradually extending the distance to 10-20km. By 2020, he started participating in competitions. His pigeons first competed in the Bellary track, covering 400km. In 2023, they returned to the same competition and secured second prize, a moment he describes as a major boost.
The following year brought setbacks. Shanavas participated in the Coimbatore track, known for its curved route that makes navigation difficult for pigeons. He lost several birds in that competition. Undeterred, he shifted focus to the Mumbai track in 2025.
The initial race covered 200km to Kasaragod. In 2026, the distances increased progressively to 300km into Karnataka, 400km to the Karnataka-Goa border, and 550km to Madgaon. Each competition was spaced out to allow the birds adequate rest and recovery. On February 17, the team transported the pigeons to Mumbai for the much-anticipated race. Nineteen participants took part, each entering multiple birds. Shanavas fielded nine pigeons. They were released at 8.30am on February 19.
“I expected the bird to return by the night of February 20 or at least by the morning of the 21st. When I checked the area around the cage on the morning of the 20th, I found none. But around 11.30am, I saw one inside the cage. I was surprised and overjoyed. It was the first time in Kerala that a pigeon had completed a 1,000km race and returned the very next morning,” he said.
He immediately logged into the race’s mobile application and entered the secret code embedded in the ring attached to the pigeon’s leg to officially record the timing. Malabar Racing Pigeon Club founder Krishna Prasad described the feat as a landmark moment for the racing pigeon fraternity in Kerala. “In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kolkata, pigeon racing is largely treated as a sport. In Kerala, we have only recently begun to build that culture. Even within these limited years, we have achieved something significant,” he said.
“The prize money here is very small. We continue in this field purely out of passion. If not for that commitment, it would be difficult to sustain our efforts,” he added.