Racing pigeons auction in Belgium

Knesselare, Belgium. Pigeons at a Belgian auction house for racing birds. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters. Last year, a star racing pigeon named Armando fetched a record 1.25 million euros ($1.4 million) in an online auction. The prized bird -- Belgian's best long-distance racer of all time according to those in the know -- was snapped up by a Chinese buyer for a princely sum that caused a flutter of excitement among fanciers.