Pigeon ?!?

This page is being developed to clear all wrong ideas people have about the harmless & lovely birds - "Pigeons".

• What is a Pigeon?

• More on the biological aspects of Pigeons

• Aren't pigeons dangerous?

• Amazing Facts about Pigeons

What is a Pigeon?

"Pigeon" is the common name for members of the Columbidae family of birds. Smaller species are commonly known as doves. One of the most prevalent types of pigeon is the common pigeon (Columba livia), found the world over. 

• Rock dove :The common pigeon, from which all breeds were domesticated, descends from the rock dove. The rock dove was found originally in Europe, North Africa, and India where they made their homes on the faces of rocky cliffs.

• Domestication :Mankind has enjoyed the benefit of thousands of years of domesticated pigeons. From the lowly feral common pigeon eating popcorn in the park, to a champion racing homer costing hundreds or thousands of dollars, pigeons provide mankind with way to observe and appreciate the beauty of birds anywhere. Pigeons have been used throughout antiquity as messengers, in both war and peace time. Pigeons are also mentioned many times in the Christian Bible.

• Various breeds :Hundreds, if not thousands of breeds have been developed by man for many purposes: large pigeons for the table, many types of fancy pigeons for competitive showing, homers for racing and messaging, and rollers and tipplers for their aerial acrobatics.

• Ferals or common pigeons : Like many creatures in the world, the common pigeon is not native to many of the places where it thrives. In many large urban areas, common pigeons are some of the only "wildlife" that some people will ever see. To many, the sight of seeing individual members of a flock of pigeons interacting socially with one another, flying about and just being pigeons is a relaxing way to spend some free time.

• homing pigeon : A homing pigeon is a specially bred and trained pigeon descended from a centuries old line of proven homers. All pigeons have some ability to home, but homing pigeons have this trait especially enhanced though breeding and training.

• racing pigeon : A racing pigeon is a specially trained homing pigeon. Racing pigeons are trained and motivated to fly from a designated release point to their home loft as quickly as possible. The difference between a homing pigeon, messaging pigeon, and racing pigeon is subtle, and varies mostly with training and conditioning. 

Below are some information biological related to pigeon :-

When does the hen lay her eggs?

The hen lays the first egg of a two-egg clutch about 10 days after mating. The second egg follows a day or so after the first. The couple usually do not start sitting on the eggs until the second egg comes. This ensures both eggs hatch around the same time.

Which parent sits on the eggs?

Both the cock and the hen take turns sitting on the eggs. The hen usually sits in the morning and overnight. The cock usually sits during the afternoon.

How long are pigeon eggs incubated?

Both eggs usually start to hatch about 18 days after the second egg was laid. It can sometimes take a chick an entire day to break free from his shell.

What do baby pigeons eat?

For the first few days of life, baby pigeons, also called "squabs," are fed "pigeon milk" by both parents. Pigeon milk is a cheese-like substance created inside the throats of both parents and put into the mouths of the baby pigeons.After a few days of the pigeon milk diet, the young are fed regurgitated grains and seeds. The parents will pump the baby pigeons so full of seeds that their crops will look and feel like overly stuffed bean bags. After about 20 days or so, the young pigeons will begin to peck at grains and seeds and begin eating like adult pigeons. They will, however, continue to beg their parents to feed them when given the opportunity.

How fast do baby pigeons grow?

Pigeons grow at a remarkable rate. Anecdotally, they appear to double in size every other day of their first week of life. A young pigeon is fully feathered and ready to leave the nest at about 30 days.When putting on a permanent, seamless identification band, special care must be taken to ensure it is placed on the bird's leg within four to six days after hatching. Any time before that, the band will be too large and will slip off. Any time after that, the band will be too small and will not slip over the foot.

What do pigeons eat?

Naturally, pigeons eat only seeds and grains. Wild pigeons may also eat bread, popped corn, and bits of food dropped by people. Pigeons do not eat worms, insects, or meat.The best food for pigeons is a mixture of quality grains. Premixed sacks of feed are typically available at any feed and seed stores. A typical 50-pound premixed bag of general-purpose pigeon food consists of Canadian field peas, popcorn, milo, hard wheat, maple peas, oat groats, red millet, white millet, canary grass seed, rice, and hemp seed. I supplement the feed by mixing in popcorn kernels, also purchased at the feed and seed store in a 50-pound bag.

What do pigeons drink?

Pure, clean water made available at all times. For optimum health, the water should be changed daily.

How do I tell the cocks from the hens?

Unfortunately, the differences between male and female pigeons is not as obvious as with other species of birds. Somehow, the pigeons themselves know instinctually, but us humans have to work a little harder at it.In older pigeons, the cocks are usually a little bigger than the hens. By far, the most accurate way to tell is to observe their behavior in social settings. The cocks will often puff out their crops and coo loudly. They will fan out their tail feathers and drag them on the ground or floor and spin in place. The bird to which he is exhibiting this behavior usually is a hen. When I see one do this, I snap a blue plastic band on the cock's leg, and a pink one on the hen's.Of course, if you happen to be around a bird when an egg comes out of it, you can be fairly certain that this bird needs a pink plastic band about her foot.Old-timers in the sport of pigeon racing can instantly tell the cocks from the hens. As with any activity, experience is the best teacher.

What is the life expectancy of a pigeon?

Pigeons kept in captivity can live to 15-20 years. GI Joe, a decorated veteran of World War II, spent his declining years in retirement at the Detroit Zoo Birdhouse after delivering a message saving the live of 1,000 Allied soldiers. He died at the age of 18 in early June 1961 at the Detroit Zoo Birdhouse. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that pigeons can live to be 35 years old.

At what age do pigeon begin mating?

I have not studied this scientifically, nor have I researched this in other literature, but in my own observation, I have seen young birds hatched in the winter and early spring begin to show an interest in courting and mating in mid-summer. I have even seen some hens lay eggs at this age. This would put the age of first mating near six months.

Aren't pigeons dangerous?

The Association of Pigeon Veterinarians National Avian Disease Task Force for Pigeons and Doves does  " affirm and testify that ... the raising, keeping and the exercising of pigeons and doves represents no more of a health hazard than the keeping of other communal or domestic pets."

Rats with wings

Unfortunately, this is an idea that many people have about pigeons. Of course, rats don't have wings. The closest thing to a "rat with wings" is a bat. Wild pigeons, unlike "wild" rats, are often treasured by people in society. Many people take great pleasure in feeding and watching wild pigeons in urban areas where no other natural wildlife exists. Wild pigeons also serve as a sort of "janitor" in urban settings, cleaning up messes left behind by people.Aside from the wild pigeons, the domesticated thoroughbred racers, rollers, and fancy pigeons are even further removed from the "rats with wings" notion. When did rats ever save the life of downed airmen in World War II? When did rats deliver mail into Paris under siege keeping families in touch when no other mail could get through?Anyone who wants to call these remarkable creatures "rats with wings" should take a hard look at history.

Myth of disease

Many people, particularly people who don't like birds, or pest control companies who stand to make money, would have you believe that pigeons, both feral and domestic, are harborers of disease. Below are some quotes from respected members of public disease control agencies.

• "...diseases associated with [pigeons] present little risk to people..." - Dr. Michael McNeil, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta

•  “We do have some concern about the indiscriminate killing of pigeons.” “[Histoplasmosis disease rates are] misleading and irrelevant, because histo’s so ubiquitous. It’s in the soil, regardless of whether pigeons are around or not...”- Dr. Marshall Lyon, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta

• "The New York City Department of Health has no documented cases of communicable disease transmitted from pigeons to humans." - Manuel Vargas, DVM, New York City Department of Health

Do pigeons carry West Nile Virus

No. Since WNV seems to be carried by common birds such as crows and jays, some people suspected that pigeons might carry it as well. Please read the following from the Summer 2002 issue of the American Racing Pigeon Union's AU Update. The AU continuously monitors the spread of West Nile Virus. it is spreading quickly, but it does not seem to be the problem we feared it might be.There are cases of humans contracting the disease, but in almost every case the victim was elderly and/or immune compromised.Officials at CDC tested flocks of pigeons and challenged them. It is now confirmed that pigeons are not a significant pool for the virus. As with Avian Influenza (AI) they do not get it, do not shed it, do not transmit it nor serve as a vector for the disease -- for either animals or humans. "(Pigeons) develop very low levels of the virus and are very poor amplifiers of the virus," according to Dr. Nicholas Komar of the CDC in Fort Collins, Colorado. This may be due to their high body temperature having some effect on the virus' ability to reproduce.

Ok, so they're not really dangerous, but I don't like them (ferals) hanging around. What can I do?

Pigeons are creatures of habits. Disrupt their habits, and you might have some success in getting them to leave. Don't feed unwanted pigeons. Use boards, netting, wire, etc, to exclude the unwanted birds from your area. If they can't nest, they won't hang around. Killing unwanted pigeons is not said to work, as there will always be another bird to take the place of the killed birds.There are some commercial sellers and installers of netting. Look closely next time you are downtown. You might just see some near invisible netting covering windows and ledges of buildings.

Amazing Facts about Pigeons:

1. Racing Pigeons help greatly to win the two World Wars. They were used as secret message dispatchers who returned to their lofts with messages sent by the troops who attached them to their legs in small cases. Many provided important details about where the allied and enemy forces were. Like I said, you may owe your life to these!

2. Pigeons have baffled ALL scientists. No one quite knows how they find their way home but they think it's possibly linked to the Sun's position and the Earth's magnetic fields at any given time.

3. The most expensive Racing Pigeon cost over £110,000 and is called Invincible Spirit and was purchased by Louella Pigeon World UK in 1992.

4. People often say "you never see baby pigeons". This is because a baby pigeon at 4 weeks old looks identical to it's parent. Whilst growing up to this stage, they stay in their nest and only leave when fully feathered. They start off covered in yellow down and their feathers start to show after 2 weeks in the nest.

5. The most heroic recorded feat of a Racing Pigeon was from the late 1800's when a pigeon returned 55 days after being released from Africa to England. It has been estimated that the bird flew in the region of 7000 miles to get back, avoiding the desert where it instinctively knew no food or water would be found.

Yes, pigeons are AMAZING CREATURES !!!