Birds of a feather can make money they fly faster.

Fly fishing in Montana too pricey a getaway? Golfing a little too prosaic?

Why not try a sport with a genteel European heritage. And we're not talking fox hunting--try pigeon racing.

While the pigeon has the reputation of a dirty, unappealing animal in the United States, racing the bird was a rage among the British elite during the first half of the 20th Century and is still the domain of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.

The low-tech sport--which involves taking homing pigeons a set distance from their coops and then timing their return--has taken off in the United States, courtesy of the high-tech Internet. Winning purses total more than $1 million and top-flight birds can cost thousands of dollars.

"It's a hobby where you get to meet guys from everywhere and the Internet has absolutely helped expand the pigeon game even more," said racing enthusiast Mike Brazil, a San Louis Obispo resident who attended the American Pigeon Racing Union's annual convention earlier this month in La Mirada.

Held in a nondescript conference room in a Holiday Inn, the convention had all the feel of a low-rent affair--that was until bidding started on the champion flyers at auction.

Each bird's breeding, lineage and racing history was up for review. Winning bids came in as high as $700.

"Five hundred, six hundred, that's the norm for auctions in this area," said Bill Barger, a pigeon enthusiast from Long Beach. "Some of the Internet auctions, they go a lot higher."

The record sale price of a racing pigeon is $225,000, and with good reason--a yearly race in Sun City, South Africa takes place in February with prize winnings surpassing $1 million in U.S. dollars and the top bird earning $200,000.

Domestically, the Vegas Classic annual race is the big event, with the winner taking home $100,000 and the purse in several events totaling $1 million.

By AMANDA BECKER

Contributing Reporter