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Mardin
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This kind is
physically the largest of them all. It looks similar to West of
England Tumblers (flying kind) but caries it self higher due to longer legs. The
picture above is a prime example of Mardin. Mardin comes in all
shades of blue bar and checks, smoky and black self colors only. Mirrored
(white) tails are very common in this breed. Its head
is not decorated.
It is a very low flying breed and is a solo flier. When flown instead of
gaining altitude it will spend a few hours just a few yard above the roof
tops while very rarely performing in the air. After this period it will
loose altitude and start flying right above the roof tops and at times
between the houses below the roof lines. Its flight is rather fast but calm, this is when you will get to see the great performance of this
breed. It will charge the coop repeatedly. Minimum standard is 40 times
per flight. After each charge it will fly couple of more rounds and charge
again. While charging instead of diving it will start loosing altitude
slowly from a distance, almost like an airplane landing and once it starts
climbing it will go 40-50 yards strait up. |
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Urfa
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Specialty of Urfa
is it caries it's wings below the tail, some times touching the ground.
Its tail is longer than Mardin by half an inch and in blacks it has a featherless
ring around eyes like many Russian breeds but, less developed. Tail also stands higher
than others breeds. It is head structure is rather cornered with a
wide and full forehead. This breed comes with only sabuni and miski
colors in addition to the blues, blacks. Like the bird above it will
also come in a color what we call "açık" (open) which is
similar to sabuni color but, instead of yellow chest it will have eggplant
color. This color is called "açık" because it is really a blue
bar with some other genes playing with it. Unlike sabuni which carry a
brown bar base. Urfa's head is not decorated.
As it is a solo flier, its flight style is very comparable to Mardin's.
Today, it is very difficult to find this breed in its pure form but,
through a careful search with in the old fanciers it is still possible.
Even in Turkey it is a very expensive breed. |
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Sivas
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This
breed has a relatively
smaller head, shorter legs and comes in all colors mentioned above. Mirrored
tail is not as common but possible to see. Another marking is the white
head, which is very similar to a monk marking, just on the top of the
head. Colors miski (brown check with pale coloring and orange chest) and
sabuni (bar pattern of miski) are believed to be first developed in this
city and than mixed into rest of the takla breeds. Sivas can have a small nose crest or as we call it
a rose.
Main difference of Sivas comes in its performance: Unlike Mardin or
Urfa it does not like to fly long hours. Max 2 hours. However, it
plays harder and more often. Each combination consists of at least 8 tumble and climbs and each climb
between tumbles should be a meter. It also dives in a much different
style than others: It is dive look like a down-slope skier, in zigzags, wings
closing and opening. Dive depth is lowest of them all and given the
surroundings are sufficient, it should dive and let it's tail sweep the
ground for a while and than start climbing up to get into a combination. |
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Ankara
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This is the
smallest of them all. Head, body and wings every thing is smaller
and shorter. The beak is skinnier and longer than others similar to
doves. However, this size difference is not that literal. If seen by
it self it can be mistaken for others. This breed comes in all colors
besides what we call "gümüsh" (silver), which is a very mild
yellow bar that is covered by 1/20 X 1/4 of an inch long led color
markings through out the body which gets darker as the bird get older. If
the dimensions don't make sense, the letter "I" is little
shorter than what the markings look like. This color comes only in males
in breeds that have it. Another color missing is the khaki or brown
self in this breed.
All these colors come in a dusty shade in Ankara (browns that can be seen
in Ankara are in reality a formation of the blue gene but, not a true
brown.) Blues are very
similar to wild type and dirty blue, blacks never bright but a light tone
of black almost like a black bar dun. Reds, yellows and others come
in ash and never with clear white feathers on the wind or tail. Smokey and
açık colors are some of the most common colors in this breed.
Ankara also differs in performance: It tumbles are very hard and
quick. Between each tumble there is a very little climb, in fact if looked
carefully, there is a slight altitude loss after each tumble. Ankara
performs harder than any breed in Turkey. Its combinations are
shorter than all but, full of tumbles. Good bloodlines must get
daily exercise or it becomes unable to fly from tumbling.
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Antalya
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| This breed is
the tallest one of them, with its head, similar to Ankara's, smaller and a
narrower
chest. It comes in all traditional colors and carries all head
ornaments, together or single crested. Breeders of this region claim
to be the origin of gümüsh and khaki colors. This breed likes to fly
higher, with quick wing strokes like Urfa, than others and does not kit
well. Its combinations are longer than any breed but do not dive to
charge the coop. It is the ancestor of today's Syrian Coop Tumbler
by the way of Seljuks. Today it is one of the most rare breeds of takla.
Result of the years of migration to this city from all over Turkey because
of its Mediterranean Rivera climate, many different takla breeds were
introduced to the city and were cross bred with Antalya. If it is possible
to find this breed in it is pure form it is outside of its own region in
the hands a few fanciers. |
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Diyarbakır
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This one is
a chubby kind of takla with a relatively shorter neck and legs. It body is
unlike most pigeon breeds is flat looking from front almost an ellipse,
horizontally wider. Diyarbakır comes in all colors in most bright tones. It's head
ornaments also come in different shapes. Beak crest, rose, besides coming
in traditional shape, comes in different shapes as a "coin rose"
similar to Bokhara trumpeters' or "side swap' like the bird on this
picture, brushed to one side of the face. The head crest extends
from cheek to cheek and some times has a curl at the top bending towards
the beak. Muffs can be as short as the picture shows to as long as several
inches.
As far as performance goes Diyarbakır is not very competitive. Even
though, it is a fairly good performer, it's raised primarily for its
looks.
Diyarbakır also is a region of Turkey where many tumbler looking breeds
raised for their physical qualities or voices. One can consider Diyarbakır
the pigeon capital of Turkey. |
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Malatya |
This
breed is like the Çorum kind does not follow the general color concerns
of the takla breeders. It comes mostly in pied colors. It is usually head
crested and carries long muffs, up to 15-20 cm. As far as the performance
they are separated into two categories:
Sekmeleyen: Similar to most takla breeds this kind shows great
difficulties landing from a couple of feet high table. As soon as they get
airborne to land they will start moving their legs like they are climbing a
ladder and keep climbing upwards.
Sallanik: Difference of this kind comes again during the landing; they
can't land strait down but, move like a cradle side to side in the air
with out any leg movements.
They are both high flying endurance type of birds and have a high level of
tumbling performance. |
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Konya |
| Physically
it is very similar to Mardin but its beak is smaller like the Antalya
taklas. Performance vise they are very comparable to Antalya but, instead
of flying solo they prefer to be flown in kits. |
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