They have been called “sky rats” or “sewer eagles”. There are millions of pigeons throughout the world. Pecking away and leaving their mess over out cities, cars and us! The pigeon is a genius that is right under our noses. Pigeons have been our fine feathered friends for many years. What is so amazing about pigeons?

• Flying machines – They are near perfect navigators. A pigeon’s wings deliver lift and thrust in one remarkable package. Even the individual feathers on the tip of the wing each act like an individual wing to give the pigeon thrust. Pigeons have been raced for centuries and is still very much alive today. Racing pigeons can average 80 km/hour for hours. Something no human can match. The pigeons absorb far more of the oxygen they breath than humans. A world-class runner can travel 80 kilometers in about 5 hours, a horse could do it in almost 2 hours but a pigeon would take less than 1 hour.
• Masters of disguise – There are many diversities of pigeons throughout the world and now with selective breeding by humans there are even more bizarre pigeons. They have a remarkable ability to adapt to their environment. There are pigeon in outrageous colours, shapes and sizes. Some don’t even look like pigeons. Yet, if these fancy pigeons were to interbreed then in just a few generations they will go back to a basic pigeon.
• Super senses – Pigeons have two eyes like humans but see much more. They have a 340 degree field of vision that means they can see most of what is directly behind them. This means they can spot predators from far away. They can detect ultraviolet radiation from the sun which is critical in navigation. Which is why pigeons won’t fly at night. Pigeons hear sound frequencies 200 times lower than what a human being can hear.
• Perfect parents – Pigeons share parental duties, never leave their children alone for a second and mostly mating for life. They mate and then ten days later; every time; twin egg arrive. It ensures that at least one survives and also there are not too many mouths to feed. In 16-18 days the eggs hatch. The parents do something that most parents are unable to do – they both nurse their young. The milk is so powerful (more than cow or human) that the young pigeons double in size within 48 hours. In two weeks they are half the size of their parents. After 25 days they are almost full grown and can feed themselves. They leave home after 35 days by which time Mum and Dad have another pair of eggs! They can produce up to 50 pairs of offspring in a year. This loyalty to their mates is exploited by pigeon racers who separate the birds and then bring them together the day before a race before separating yet again. This has the effect of causing the racing pigeon to come home as fast as he can.
• Navigation – Racing pigeons are able to navigate their way home from a strange place thousands of kilometers away. Other animals such as sea turtles and salmon can return home. In war-time homing pigeons were used to relay important messages as they were fast, reliable and near impossible to intercept. Pigeons delivered the message 95% of the time and were more reliable than radio. In fact, 30 medals have been given out to pigeons during war-time! How are pigeons able to navigate? It has been a mystery for years but scientists are finally cracking the code. They use a combination of the sun as a compass, thousands of visual landmarks in their memory, smell and the earth’s magnetic field. The beak of the pigeon contain small magnetic particles called magnetite and the birds are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic fields that provide information about their location.

The first biblical reference to the pigeon (or dove) was in the Old Testament and was the story of Noah and the dove of peace.  In the New Testament, the pigeon was first mentioned during the baptism of Christ where the dove descended as the Holy Spirit, an image now used extensively in Christian art. Over recent centuries the pigeon has become a villain. It has been getting bad press. It is a wonder of creation.

Categories: Animals