Armando had been expected to break the previous record of 376,000 Euros paid for a pigeon called Nadine -- but not by such a wide margin.
Earlier this week it became clear that Armando would be the most expensive pigeon ever sold in an online auction, wrote the specialist website PigeonParadise (Pipa.be).
However, no one expected that the magical cap of a million Euros would be pulverized, it added. The final amount was 1,252,000 Euros.
Local pigeon fancying association president Fred Vancaillie told Belgian broadcaster RTBF that Armando was one of the best in the history of the sport and called him the Lewis Hamilton of pigeons.
Verschoot's stable of pigeons is based in Ingelmunster, in the west of Belgium, and his online auction of his pigeons has been open for several weeks. By Sunday, the family had sold 178 pigeons for around two million Euros.
Homing pigeons are raced by releasing them sometimes hundreds of kilometers from home, with the first back home winning. Racing them is a tradition in Belgium, Britain, northern France and the Netherlands, although it has been going into decline.
Tags: Belgium, bird, Entertainment, messi pigeon, pigeon, pigeon Armando, racing pigeon.