Pigeons have outstanding navigation skills. Known as homing pigeons, they can find their way home from hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away.
The exact mechanism of their navigation ability is not fully understood, but it is thought to be a combination of magnetoreception and the use of visual landmarks.
Can recognise itself in a mirror: it is one of the few species that pass the mirror test (self-recognition test). They can also recognise individual pigeons in a flock.
Pigeons can recognise human faces. If you drive the pigeons away, they will remember you and avoid you in the future.
The fastest pigeon in history flew at about 92.5 (150 km/h) in a race in the UK.
It can see millions of different hues and has better colour vision than most animals, including humans. In addition, they can see ultraviolet radiation.
They played an important role as carrier pigeons in both World War I and World War II. One prominent pigeon, the Cher Ami, saved 194 American soldiers during the First World War.
Unlike many birds, they are monogamous and mate for life. The male and female take turns to incubate the eggs and feed the young. Both parents participate in nesting, egg-laying and feeding.
In the wild, they can live for 15 years, but predators and disease usually shorten the average lifespan.
It is one of the most abundant urban wildlife species in the world and there are an estimated 18 million pigeons in London alone, far more than its population.
They are very clean animals and there is little evidence to suggest that they are a significant source of disease transmission.
They are omnivorous and eat a good diet of cereals, seeds and fruit. In urban areas, they may also eat human leftovers such as bread.
Predation from animals such as hawks, falcons and sometimes larger mammals such as raccoons is a threat to them.
Pigeons sometimes cause nuisance to humans due to their faeces, causing damage to property and, rarely, carrying diseases. However, they generally co-exist peacefully in urban environments.
They are generally diurnal and most active during the day. They forage in the morning and late afternoon and rest at night.
Flock size varies widely from place to place. In urban areas, multiple flocks of several dozen birds may be found.
In some areas, pigeon populations are declining due to habitat loss, predation and sometimes culling aimed at reducing their numbers in urban areas.
Pigeons usually breed in urban areas due to their high reproductive rate and the abundance of food in urban areas. One mature pair of pigeons can produce up to eight young per year under optimum conditions. The availability of nesting sites and relatively few predators also contribute to the high breeding rate.
Finally, a few examples of the carrier pigeon
Ancient Greece: pigeons are said to have been used to send the results of the Olympic Games to various parts of Greece.
Pigeon Post to Paris: in the 19th century, a regular pigeon mail service was established between Britain and France.
Reuter’s News Agency: in the 1850s, Paul Julius Reuter used a carrier pigeon to transmit news and stock prices between Brussels, Belgium, and the western German city of Aachen.
Siege of Paris (1870-1871): the Franco-Prussian War marked the birth of Germany. Pigeons were then used to carry mail in and out of the besieged cities.
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