EAST PROVIDENCE -- Trophies cover an entire garage wall, attesting to the breeding expertise of Nelson Guimares, secretary-treasurer of the Little Rhody Pigeon Fanciers Club.

In two shows this autumn, the club will bring together saints and nuns, tipplers and rollers, pouters and trumpeters and many other breeds for a sport that probably predates all other purebred animal competitions.

It was Noah, after all, who started the appreciation of homing birds with the release of the dove that returned with an olive branch.

Guimares breeds and shows saddle muffs, petite pigeons with fluffy feet, and white homers, birds that fly at the openings of events such as the Olympics.

Guimares releases his two dozen white homers after the national anthem at Little League season openers, at weddings and increasingly at funerals. The pure white birds symbolize soaring spirits.

And no, they do not mess on people's roofs as other breeds may do. "When I fly them, they come right back," he says, opening the doors of their loft. The birds spray upward, gaining altitude and speed, becoming a flock, circling the yard again and again for perhaps 10 minutes. Guimares shakes a Foxwoods coin container with some pigeon feed, and the flock descends. They make a few more passes, and individuals begin to alight in the tree over the loft. Then they drop, one by one, onto the platform that leads to a trap door and their afternoon meal.

A solitary bird continues to circle. "There won't be any food left for him today," Guimares says, "so he'll be the first one back tomorrow."

Homing pigeons can recognize landmarks as far as they can see, Guimares says.

Show birds are different than racing homers, however.

A white homer can easily find its way home from 50 miles, according to the American White Dove Release Association. An extraordinary bird can make it home from 200 miles. Guimares has flown his flock as far away as Fall River and Woonsocket.

Racing pigeons routinely fly hundreds of miles.

Prices between show birds and racing pigeons are also widely disparate. A great show bird can cost close to $2,000, says Guimares. A great racing bird can fetch nearly $200,000, he says. Even a single fertilized egg from a top racer can be worth a bundle.

It costs much less to train show birds. "I know one guy from here who used to drive his racing pigeons to Pittsfield, Mass. three times a week," Guimares says. "What do you think that would cost with the price of gas today? I train my birds right here in my backyard."

Guimares flies his white homers every day. It's a risky exercise in winter when hawks have fewer wild animals to eat and white pigeons are easy marks.

Like a dog-show breeder, Guimares trains his birds to pose for a judge. By the time they reach a show bench, his birds are calm in a cage and ready to be handled by people judging structural soundness.

Racing pigeons face more dangers because of the distances they must fly, but the rewards are greater. The Vegas Classic, Guimares says, pays $100,000 to the winner. In South Africa, the Sun City Million Dollar Pigeon Race pays twice as much to the winner. Smaller races pay less, but their associated Calcuttas can be lucrative.

Show breeders win trophies.

Most of the money in the pigeon world comes from breeding the best birds. Top racing breeders travel the world seeking new stock to enhance their lofts' gene pools.

Guimares says the majority of show breeders shop for outstanding specimens at regional shows, especially now that many airlines have made it difficult to ship pigeons by air.

The Little Rhody Pigeon Fanciers Club young bird show is scheduled for Oct. 8 at the Rhode Island Racing Pigeon Club in Pawtucket, on the South Attleboro line. The number is (508) 761-8719. The pigeon fanciers' all-age winter show is scheduled for Nov. 12.

"That one," says Guimares, "is going to be standing room only."

tmeade@projo.com / (401) 277-7340