A wealthy Chinese pigeon racing fan paid a record price of 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) for the Belgian-bred pigeon, New Kim, on Sunday.
The final bid left the previous record that Belgian-bred Armando fetched last year well behind, by 350,000 euros.
Sunday's bid was proof again that top breeders relying on generations of family experience can now sell their birds for prices unheard of merely a decade ago, and often China is their destination.