Believe it or not, this pigeon was just sold for nearly Rs 10 crore

The million dollar pigeon Armando (Image: PIPA)

If money were no object, would you invest a few crores on a pigeon? No? Two Chinese men just engaged in a bidding face-off over Belgium's fastest long-distance racing pigeon - Armando.

The bird worth crores has earned itself the moniker Lewis Hamilton of pigeons after Formula 1 world champion.

According to PIPA.be, a pigeon-racing website in Belgium that conducted the auction, Armando was able to fetch the record-breaking amount after the two Chinese nationals engaged in a fight over acquiring the bird.

On March 17, Armando’s bid had barely touched $6,00,000 before shooting up to $1.4 million within an hour. The previous record bid for a pigeon stands at $427,000, according to PIPA.

There were 178 pigeons, including seven of his babies, that were sold at the auction for a whopping $2.7 million (Rs 17 crore approximately), making it the third-highest amount ever.

While we may wonder why anyone would spend some much on a bird, and a pigeon at that, collectors are known to be patrons of such inexplicable patterns of extravagance. However, one of the organisers of the auction believes this type of champions are rarely ever up for sale, explaining how it may have fetched the massive amount. According to The Guardian, Armando is five years old now, and is nearing his retirement. Yet, it is so highly valued because of its remarkable sense of direction and exceptional wing strength.

Joël Verschoot, who sold the pigeons, told The Guardian that he used to spend 12 hours a day working with the pigeons since the time he took up the hobby. "This is a crowning glory of all those years in the pigeon sport. The icing on the cake," he added.