Giant Runt origin Italy, possibly from the time of ancient Rome. The oddly named Giant Runt is a very old pigeon breed. Some pigeon historians believe that the Giant Runt is the bird mentioned by the Roman writer, Pliny, in the first century A.D. He described a very large pigeon breed found in Campagna, a region of present-day Italy. Giant pigeons were also bred in Spain and southern France, and it is impossible to know which strains might have been combined to create the Giant Runt of today. The bird was certainly well-known in Italy, since its image is carved on many of the interior columns of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. In France, the breed was known as the Roman Pigeon, possibly because it had come to France from Italy. There is no record of when the breed was fist imported into the United States, although according to Wendell Levi, it was exhibited in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1873. The breed is known as the Runt in England, and as either Runt or Giant Runt in the United States ( via : whitbywings)
American Giant Rumbler
The American Giant Rumbler Pigeon is a relatively new variety of giant pigeon, which is somewhat overshadowed by the much better known American Giant Runt Pigeon. This sturdy-looking breed was developed in the United States in the fifties and sixties using Giant Runts and Long-Faced, Clean-Faced Tumblers, to create a large yet well-shaped bird. Like the Giant Runts, they can be a dual purpose breed, since they may be bred for food (squabs) as well as for exhibition.
The American Giant Rumbler Pigeon, developed by two National Pigeon Association Hall of Famers, was recognized as an official breed in the mid 1980s by the Canadian Pigeon Fancier’s Association and the National Pigeon Association. (via : rightpet)