Racing pigeon competitions result in high mortality from exhaustion, disorientation, and weather events, raising welfare concerns for this traditional sport.
Pigeons during races can experience severe exhaustion, dehydration, and hypoglycaemia. Birds caught in adverse weather may become hypothermic. Lost birds face starvation if they cannot navigate home. High-speed descent and collision injuries occur. The welfare of individual birds is often subordinated to competition outcomes in traditional racing culture.