There are many beloved birds across North America, from the musical bluebirds to the cunning and intelligent ravens. But when it comes to the pigeons, most people don’t usually give them the love and attention they deserve. Pigeons (AKA the Columbidae family) get a bad reputation for unfair reasons. We all forget that pigeons used to be one of the most admired and useful domesticated animals.
We domesticated pigeons around 7,000 years ago. Back then, their main uses were meat and fertilizer. The breeders and keepers of those pigeons bred impressive breeds. The breeds included the Modena, Fantail, Barb, and Pouter breeds. Homing pigeons were used to deliver messages and locate enemies in the two world wars.
Pigeons have many traits and characteristics. These include powerful wing muscles, intelligent and social personalities, excellent homing skills, and much, much more. Typical city pigeons are a mix of many different breeds and are the descendants of the Rock Dove. City pigeons feed on small insects and food scraps from humans.
Pigeons weren’t hated at all, until 1930, when people began to associate them as filthy and unclean. In 1963, two deaths were unfairly blamed on pigeon-transmitted diseases. Combined with their already bad reputation and their acidic and annoying droppings, they quickly took the spot of America’s most hated bird. Pigeon meat was also replaced by factory-farmed chickens, and their droppings were replaced by commercial fertilizer.
It would be best if you reconsidered these birds (and STOP throwing rocks at these innocent birds!!) because there’s more to pigeons than what most people think.
RELATED STORIES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_pigeon
https://www.britannica.com/animal/pigeon
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/pigeons-diversity-doves-photographs
https://www.newmanvantage.com/2023/01/26/pigeons-dont-deserve-the-place-in-society-they-were-given/
https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-pigeons-187216
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