Tom Jackson cradles a pigeon in his hand and releases it on the ground. But instead of blasting off into the sky, the bird rolls over backward, kicking up dust as it propels itself across the barn ...

A small white pigeon raised its head from between Terry Gier’s fingers. It’s a Valencian Figurita, he said, first bred in Spain centuries ago. Behind him, around 20 other pigeons lounged in cages — ...