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Popinjay

Popinjay or Papingo, is a shooting sport that is performed with either archery equipment or with rifles. The archery version is also known as pole archery. The target is an artificial bird (a jay) or set of birds suspended from or perched on a high pole.

The rifle form of this sport is popular in Denmark. The archery format of this sport is popular in Belgium and it is played occasionally in UK.

This sport is usually carried out either using small bore rifles or crossbows. An object, which resembles the popinjay bird, is suspended from a pole or mast for aiming at. The archer stands near the base of the mast and shoots arrows upwards at the birds. Popinjays in this sport are occasionally shot horizontally rather than shooting them vertically.

Archery popinjay - from Les Jeux et Plaisirs de l'Enfance (1657) by Claudine Bouzonnet-Stella 

The Ancient Society of Kilwinning Archers also organizes an annual popinjay tournament. In this annual tournament of this sport, a papingo target is suspended from a pole projecting from the clock tower. In the year 1488, winner of the tournament was awarded the Captain’s Ben, which is a scarlet ribbon worn over the shoulder and across the chest. A prize of a silver arrow was later on introduced in 1724, which later on became the perpetual trophy. The trophy is also known as the “Papingo Arrow”.

Similar Sports

• Archery — competitive archery involves shooting arrows at a target for accuracy from a set distance or distances.
• Benchrest Shooting — a shooting sport where the participant shoots with a rifle at the bench.
• Fullbore Target Rifle Shooting — using rifles, shooters hit the paper targets in a prone position.
• High Power Rifle — shooting competition using rifles such as the service rifle.

Related Pages

• About Shooting Sports — many events involving shooting at targets using guns like pistols and rifles.
• Pole Archery was once an event at the Olympic Games
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports

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