<p>Dan Dawson has kept Horseman Thief pigeons for 50 years.</p>

Dan Dawson has kept Horseman Thief pigeons for 50 years.

Photograph by Robert Ormerod

Inside the Quirky World of Competitive Pigeon Seduction

The urban pastime of Scottish “doomen” is filled with avian attraction, obsession, and the thrill of the chase.

The relationship between a “dooman” and his “doo” has the elements of a passion-fueled romance—seduction, the thrill of the chase, and an ending of either heartbreak or joy.

“Doo” is a colloquial term in Scotland for pigeon—the Horseman Thief Pouter to be exact— a breed which has a unique gift for luring a pouter pigeon of the opposite sex back to its home base to mate. A “dooman” (most practioners of this sport are male, though there are some "doowomen" as well) is the human who spends hours, sometimes to the consternation of spouses or others who might want their attention, scanning the skies to see if a rival has one of his doos out, or primping and preparing his own

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