Pigeons belong to a large and successful family of 255 +/- species called
Columbidae, ranging in size from the Diamond Dove which is approximately 12cm
long, to the Crowned Pigeon which is as big as a female turkey. The
difference in a dove and pigeon is just a common trait of doves being smaller
than pigeons. The Common Pigeon we love is also known as the Rock Dove.
They are truly amazing birds. Here are some fun facts:
- Pigeons can hear sounds at much lower frequencies than humans can, such
as wind blowing across buildings and mountains, distant thunderstorms, and
even far-away volcanoes.
- Pigeons and Doves (Family: Columbidae)
drink by sucking water, using their beaks like straws.
- Pigeons seem to be able to detect the
Earth's magnetic fields.
- Pigeons may fly as far as 600 miles in a day.
- They regularly fly up to 50 mph and have
been clocked at 75 mph.
- In the late 1800 the most heroic recorded
flight was from a pigeon that was released in Africa and took 55 days to get
home to England, traveling over 7,000 miles.
- Pigeons can see color, but they also can see
ultraviolet light--part of the light spectrum that humans can't see.
- Both male and female parent produce a special substance called
"pigeon milk" for their hatchlings during their first week
of life. Pigeon milk is made in a the crop. When babies are about one week
old, the parents start regurgitating seeds with crop milk and eventually seeds replace
the pigeon milk.
- Pigeons usually lay two white eggs. The parents take turns
incubating and keeping their
eggs warm. Males usually stay on the nest during the day;
females, at night. Eggs take about 18 days to hatch.
- When ready to leave its nest, a squab can sometimes weigh more than its
parents.
- Pigeons provide stress relief. Feeding pigeons is well recognized by the
medical community as a good means of relaxation.
- They are great eating. Endangered Peregrine Falcons, for example, would not be staging a
comeback without the pigeon as their prey base. And squab is a delicacy at
many restaurants!
- White Release Doves are pretty small for
eating, but tasty.
- Pigeons are man's oldest domesticated bird.
- Pigeons commonly live to be 15 years old and
have been recorded to be 33 years old.
- Pigeons can begin breeding at 6 months age.
- In both World Wars, flying pilots sometimes
carried pigeons in case they had to ditch their plane. They would
release the bird for help.
- A fully grown pigeon has about 10,000
feathers.
Do you have a fun story that
is unusual about your birds?
Send it to us and we may include it in the next newsletter. |
