Chinese Tycoon Buys Pigeon for $1.8 Million

It sounds like a joke, until you see the price tag.

According to a report by 60 Minutes, elite racing pigeons, yes, pigeons, have become the targets of sophisticated international theft rings. With some birds worth hundreds of thousands, even millions, criminal networks are now swooping in, giving rise to what insiders call the “pigeon mafia.”

Racing pigeons, known scientifically as Columba livia domestica, are bred for one purpose: to compete in long-distance races, flying hundreds of miles back home at remarkable speeds. What may look like an ordinary bird to most is, to breeders, a finely tuned athlete.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Belgium’s Flemish region, widely considered the global epicenter of pigeon racing. Breeders like Tom Van Gaver have spent decades perfecting bloodlines. His collection, around 300 birds, was valued at roughly $10 million.

Among them was a champion named Finn.

Described as “the Mona Lisa of pigeon racing,” Finn wasn’t just a winner—he was a breeding goldmine. His offspring sold for as much as $100,000 each. Then, one night in 2024, he vanished.

Security footage showed an intruder entering Van Gaver’s loft and stealing Finn along with several other prized birds.

“It’s not about the money,” Van Gaver told 60 Minutes. “I want my pigeon back.”

Investigators and breeders believe organized criminal networks are behind the crimes. The motive isn’t just resale, it’s breeding.

Stolen pigeons are often used to produce offspring that can be sold on the black market to collectors eager to boost their own racing stock.

The surge in pigeon theft mirrors a surge in prize money.

Modern competitions, especially “one loft races,” draw participants from around the world. Owners pay entry fees, often hundreds of dollars per bird, for a chance at prize pools reaching into the millions.

In one race in Portugal, more than 3,000 pigeons competed for a $1.2 million purse. The winner? The first bird to fly 300 miles back to its loft.

That kind of money has transformed the sport.

Online auction platforms now sell elite pigeons for staggering sums. One Belgian company reportedly handles tens of millions of euros in annual sales, with buyers from China and the Middle East driving prices even higher. In 2020, a single pigeon sold for a record $1.8 million.