End of Season in the Moldavian Pigeon Racing Province: Birzai National Race

For pigeon fanciers in the Moldavian province, the season with mature pigeons traditionally ends with participation in the prestigious Birzai National race. Considered one of the toughest and longest races in the competition calendar, Birzai falls into the Extreme category and enjoys the reputation of being the true “final” of the regional championship. It is also one of the oldest races of its kind in Romania.

In 2025, the pigeons were released on August 2, at 05:35 a.m., from the town of Birzai in Lithuania. The competition was organized by the Neamț Branch, and the race distances ranged from 950 km to 1,370 km, depending on the location of the fanciers. Those from Constanța and Tulcea had the longest distances to cover. The event impressed through its scale: 19,306 pigeons entered by 1,319 fanciers from 13 counties.

However, due to organizational adjustments, the official figures in the ranking were 17,644 pigeons and 1,183 participants.

Măgirescu+Ojog+Dorneanu – Champions Again at Birzai

The race proved to be extremely demanding, as only 12 pigeons managed to return on the first day. Under these conditions, the favorites became those breeders whose birds are able to fly even at night. This was the perfect context for the well-known trio Măgirescu+Ojog+Dorneanu (Daniel Măgirescu, Ion Ojog, and Dragoș Dorneanu, from Bacău) to shine once more, securing the first two places in the overall ranking.

The stage winner was the cock RO-2022-0175021, clocked in at 05:04:16, followed by the hen RO-2023-0433569, registered at 05:42:33. Both birds flew a distance of 1,101 km. This marks the team’s third victory at Birzai National, after their previous successes in 2019 and 2021, further strengthening their status as top champions.

Lupoi+Roman Partnership – Winners at Fanciers’ Ranking

Equally impressive was the performance of the partnership Lupoi+Roman (Constantin Lupoi and Ion Roman, from Săvinești, Neamț County), who have been competing together for over 15 years. The duo managed to place two pigeons in the top 10, finishing 3rd and 6th at a distance of 1,064 km. Their achievement was even more important since both pigeons were nominated for the team, securing them 1st place in the overall fanciers’ ranking with an excellent coefficient of just 0.51 penalty points.

The first to arrive was the hen RO-0021218, which actually returned home about an hour and a half before being officially clocked at 05:05:24. The second performer was her half-sister, the hen RO-2020-1003081, which arrived at 05:55:49. Both hens were raced on the natural system: the first was on eggs, while the second had a small chick at the time of basketing.