Painted pigeons

I think. Don't they look like that?

We were on on along afternoon walk and suddenly there was this huge colorful flock of birds near by. They were moving very fast, but I managed to get few shots of them. I first though they were parakeets or something, but when looking at the picture on computer, they clearly are not.

I've been trying to find information about this phenomenon. Some articles say that they are racing pigeons and the best male to woo the female is the winner. Some say the color is used to scare falcons. Perhaps it's for both reasons. Go figure. I hope the paint doesn't harm them.

Today I actually walked a 2,5 hour walk with the dogs and hubby. We did stop to have coffee on terrace and that gave some additional energy. It was such a beautiful day with 19°C in the shadows. The rain is getting closer. We are in an area that could have 150mm to 300mm of rain over Friday-Sunday period. Saturday seems to be the wettest with over 50mm rainfall. But I'm glad I was able to walk that long already. I feel so much more better now.