On the Wing : Message carriers for centuries, pigeons are trained these days to race. A neighborhood in North Hills has become a mecca of sorts.

Pigeons are a problem. They spread litter in our parks, they sit in the street in front of oncoming traffic until the last moment before flying away, and their droppings deface statues and buildings. They’re also a nuisance to their well-bred cousin, the racing pigeon.

“The common street pigeon is our worst enemy,” said Art Hees, president of the San Fernando Valley Racing Pigeon Club, who maintains a loft with more than 100 racers in his North Hills back yard. “They have a bad reputation, and they’re nothing like the birds we raise.

“Our pigeons are usually about one-third larger, and they’re stronger and well cared for. They have a strong homing instinct, and they know where they belong, so they’re not out roaming the streets.”

It’s the homing instinct that Hees and others who race pigeons breed into their flocks and prize most, since this is what leads the birds back to their lofts after a race of 500 miles or more. A fast, proven winner can go for up to $1,500.

Pigeons have been used for centuries to carry messages. The first Olympians in Greece brought them from home; to let their village know of a victory, they sent a bird aloft with a piece of the finish line attached to its leg. Spies in Napoleon’s military operations sent secret plans across enemy lines via pigeons, and the birds’ keen sight has been used by navies to help search planes spot lifeboats in the open ocean.

Pigeons have also been drafted.

“When World War II began, the government put out the word to racing clubs that good pigeons were needed for military use,” said Tony Sanzo, a retired hairstylist from North Hills. “When I enlisted, I turned my pigeons over to the Signal Corps then, after the war, I got them back, along with their discharge papers.”

The homing pigeon has been retired by the military’s electronic communications, allowing the people who raise them to concentrate on breeding the strongest, most homesick bird that will get to its loft faster than its competitors.

“Most of the people involved in racing started when they were kids,” said Hees, an insurance executive who plans to retire in June. “When they grow up and start a family, they often take a renewed interest in pigeons.”

The North Hills neighborhood where Hees and Sanzo live has become a mecca for pigeon racing. Seven breeders live within a few blocks of each other, attracted by the size of the area’s lots.

The city of Los Angeles grants a yearly $38 license to breeders if they have a loft (actually an on-the-ground structure) with a door that is at least 35 feet from the nearest door or window of their house, and at least 50 feet from their neighbors’ doors and windows.

“You need a yard that’s large enough to meet the regulations. But once you have that, it’s a relatively inexpensive hobby, kind of like a poor man’s horse racing,” Hees said.

A homing pigeon develops the instinct to find its home within the first month, and the training process begins soon after. It is taken out of the loft and released from around the block, then from progressively longer distances. Fed a diet of grains and vitamins to maintain its health and stamina, it quickly takes on a different look from the scrawny street pigeon. Soon it’s able to start from beyond the Sacramento area early in the morning and be home in Los Angeles by dusk.

The San Fernando Valley club, which has about 70 active members, holds races on weekends from March through June, then again in September and October.

When the birds are released from a distant point, such as deep in the San Joaquin Valley, the timepieces are set and the birds rise and head south, maintaining a 45- to 50-m.p.h. pace. The digital clocks used to time pigeons are made in Belgium, where pigeon racing is akin to a national pastime.

Keeping together in a flock at an altitude of about 250 feet, the pigeons use their sight, smell and internal compasses to bring them back.

“The routes are planned to get them home as safely as possible,” said Phil Cunningham, 71, who has raced pigeons for almost 60 years. “We keep them away from hunting grounds, where they could be mistaken for doves.

“High-tension power lines are a continuing problem. They’re in flocks and they go right through the lines, which take a number of them as they pass through.”

Following the same route as Interstate 5, they head up the Grapevine and face another hazard--big trucks.

“As the birds start to climb the Tehachapis, they descend in altitude to maybe 10 feet,” Hees said. “The large semis are coming down and if the bird gets in its way, it’s going to get hit.”

The pigeon must do more than cross the mountains and reach its back-yard loft. It must actually enter the loft before it is declared officially “home,” which is why in training runs, the birds are given food only after scooting in the door. The bird is then quickly picked up, the racing band on its leg is removed and taken to the official clock, where it is inserted into a chamber to mark the time it took to fly home.

The time and distance of the race is calculated, and each bird is given an average speed, which determines the winners and losers.

“It’s a fun hobby, trying to breed a faster, more intelligent bird than someone else that can be released hundreds of miles away and find its way home. And most of them do come home,” Sanzo said.

“A small percentage, maybe 5%, don’t make it home, and every breeder has his share of losses,” Hees said. “The recurring nightmare of every pigeon racer is all the pigeons he’s lost over the years come back to the loft at the same time.”

WHERE TO GO

What: San Fernando Valley Racing Pigeon Club.

Races: Held each weekend through June 19, then resume in September. Races start at varying points in Southern California.

Information: P.O. Box 7313, Mission Hills 91346.