Photo essay: the bird men of Bradford
WIth lofts full of racers and rollers, a new generation of British South Asian pigeon keepers are bringing new life to an age-old pastime
For Bradford-born Pakistani pigeon fancier Massy Ali, a lost racing bird changed everything when it landed at his coop in the summer of 2020. Every time he released the pigeon into the sky, it kept returning to him, instead of flying back to where it was released from.
In a way Ali, 37, felt chosen. He had kept rollers before — pigeons known for their aerial acrobatics — and now, the possibility of racing pigeons had opened up for him.
Photographer Megan Eagles, a keen animal lover, discovered Ali on a YouTube video in the autumn of 2025. When she reached out, he invited her into his world and introduced her to his inner circle.
The photographs Eagles made capture a community built around a time-honoured tradition. Pigeons have been bred and trained for centuries across South Asia, stretching back to the Mughal empire, where their abilities — including the delivery of messages across vast distances — were highly valued.
Ali and his friends Shahid Miah, Majid Saleem and Arif Hussain are part of a new generation of British South Asians keeping the pursuit alive. For Hussain, pigeon keeping is a therapeutic activity that brings him great peace. Having picked up the hobby from his father, he says it is something that’s “in the blood”.
Over the course of her work, Eagles was moved by Ali’s generosity. She was also struck by the boundless fascination that he and his friends share for what their birds can do — the distances they travel, the aerial skills they display and their instinct to return home. These are the things that bring the men together.
Ali stands inside his loft, as one of his birds takes flight from his hand.
Left: young pigeons explore Ali’s loft. Right: a wall filled with awards and certificates showcasing Ali’s many pigeon-racing achievements.
Left: a chow chow peeks his head up at the door at his kennel at Ali’s loft. Ali breeds these ancient temple-guarding dogs alongside his pigeons. Right: after their daily flight, Ali entices the birds back through one-way roof traps using handfuls of feed.
Saleem holds two of his roller pigeons, birds known for their acrobatic flights.
Left: a flock of racing pigeons circles back toward Ali’s loft after a training run. Right: Saleem cradles a young squab, part of the regular breeding many pigeon keepers do to grow their coops.
A swirl of pigeons feeding.
Miah releases his young rollers for a short training flight. Rollers rarely stray far from home.
Ali examines one of Miah’s birds, checking its quality through its wing structure.
Left: a final reluctant bird waits outside Miah’s loft. When feed won’t tempt birds in, Miah sometimes sends a bolder pigeon out to guide them home. Right: Raheem, Hussain’s brother, gently holds one of Hussain’s pigeons.
Miah and Hussain relax together near the coop in Hussain’s garden.
Inside his loft, Hussain stands with a pigeon perched comfortably on his shoulder.
A young pigeon sits in Ali’s hand.
