After some anticipation, Mike Tyson's pigeon racing show finally premiered on Animal Planet this week. The former boxing champion's six-part series, "Taking on Tyson," has brought new attention to pigeon racing: the News takes a look at some old school "pigeon junkies" who keep birds on rooftops in Bed-Stuy. "People don't realize pigeons are just like dogs and cats. They think they're the same as the birds pooping all over their property," said Anthony Martire, who breeds and races homing pigeons. But not everyone is thrilled with the sport. more ›

PETA's latest public enemy #1, Mike Tyson, will be on the small screen this year with his pigeon show finally airing on Animal Planet starting in March. The show was filmed in Brooklyn, and documents Tyson's passion of pigeon racing. According to the Daily News, he has said "this show is all about the pigeons. I didn't even go to school, because I was bullied. That's when I discovered the birds." more ›

What does pigeon racing look like up close and personal? Well, we already sort of know, but now Brooklynite photographer Aaron Wojack has documented the subculture in still photographs. Check out all of his pictures here, and Animal offers up this amazing quote from pigeon-racer Mike Tyson: more ›

PETA is urging New York City prosecutors to investigate Mike Tyson's reality television show about pigeon racing. (Also, Mike Tyson has a reality television show about pigeon racing). more ›

Pigeon keeping and racing has been a part of the city for a while, and finally someone has poured over all the ink that has been somewhat-recently spilled on this other American Pastime. Bed-Stuy Banana's rundown finishes with a link to Overlooked New York, which features profiles on some of the top pigeon keepers in the city. All 40 or older, they each seem to have a long, quirky history with pigeons (not street pigeons, mind you, which they refer to as "rats").

"I’ve had pigeons since I was a kid, but we didn’t have a coop on the roof back then; my mother wouldn’t let us up on the roof. So my brother came home one day with two milk crates, and he manufactured this thing and he put it on the window, and that was our pigeon coop." - Orlando more ›