Why Pigeons Are Important

queenpigeon:

I’ve never actually have seen a post showing how cool pigeons truly are. So, I will do this site a favor and make a post. So here are some nice, interesting facts about these cute birds.

1. Pigeons are one of the most intelligent birds on the planet. ( sources  ) 

Pigeons can categorize and name both natural and human-made objects—and not just a few. The birds in a new study categorized 128 photographs into 16 categories.

The pigeon has also been found to pass the ‘mirror test’ (being able to recognize its reflection in a mirror) and is one of only 6 species, and the only non-mammal, that has this ability. The pigeon can also recognize all 26 letters of the English language as well as being able to conceptualize.

2. Pigeons save lives. ( sources ) 

A team of navy researchers, however, has found that pigeons can be trained to save human lives at sea with high success rates. Project Sea Hunt has trained a number of pigeons to identify red or yellow life jackets when floating in the water.

The pigeons were not only found to be more reliable than humans, but they were also many times quicker when it came to spotting survivors from a capsized or sinking boat. The pigeon can see colour in the same way that humans do but they can also see ultra-violet, a part of the spectrum that humans cannot see, and this is one of the reasons they are so well adapted to lifesaving.

A carrier pigeon’s job was dangerous. Nearby enemy soldiers often tried to shoot down pigeons, knowing that released birds were carrying important messages. Some of these pigeons became quite famous among the infantrymen they worked for.

3. Pigeons mate for life !!  How cute is that? ( source ) 

4. Some pigeons are sometimes used for religious reasons. ( sources ) 

Many religious groups, including Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, feed pigeons for religious reasons. Many older Sikhs feed pigeons ceremoniously to honour the high priest and warrior Guru Gobind Singh who was a known friend of the pigeon. Some Sikhs feed pigeons because they believe that when they are reincarnated they will never go hungry if they have fed pigeons in their previous life.

5. Their poop – though many complain about it – actually is good fertilizer. ( sources ) 

When composted down, they are unsurpassed for fertilizing high feeder plants, such as tomatoes, watermelon, eggplant, roses, and other plants that like a rich soil.

Pigeon guano, for instance, has been prized in Europe as a super-manure since the Middle Ages when folks kept dovecotes and pigeon lofts atop their houses, growing the squabs for food and using the manure to fertilize gardens and fields.

6. They’re just really cute???? ( sources below ) 

Here’s some interesting facts: 

1. Cher Ami is a war pigeon who got shot in the chest and leg, but continued flying despite all this to deliver a message. He flew 25 miles in 25 minutes! The poor thing was shot in the chest and blinded, also losing it’s leg.  

2. 

Pigeons have lived alongside man for thousands of years with the first images of pigeons being found by archaeologists in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and dating back to 3000BC. 

3. 

Trained racing pigeons can fly at speeds up to 110 miles per hour for long stretches thanks to their impressive breast muscles. Those massive breast muscles account for one-third of their total body weight! 

4. 

Pigeons have an unparalleled ability to find their way home, no matter what scientists do to confuse them. They have delivered messages through a hail of bullets during wartime, and once delivered messages for Reuters, the world’s largest news organization. 

5. Pigeons are renowned for their outstanding navigational abilities. They use a range of skills, such as using the sun as a guide and an internal ‘magnetic compass’. A study at Oxford University found that they will also use landmarks as signposts and will travel along man-made roads and motorways, even changing direction at junctions. 

6. Pigeons are highly sociable animals. They will often be seen in flocks of 20-30 birds.