Pigeons are a common sight

By Victor D’Souza, Doha
Bellevision Media Network

Doha, 29 April 2010: Pigeons are a common sight in most of the cities. We see them landing on roof projections, window edges and sign boards. Pigeons are fond of company and tend to be found in groups of around twenty to thirty birds or more. Seeds and grains make up their diet. A pigeon nest is usually constructed with small pieces of tree branch and located on covered building projections, well hidden from view. The male brings the nesting material to his mate, one piece at a time. Pigeons can hear sounds at much lower frequencies than humans, such as distant thunderstorms and even far away volcanoes, which may explain why pigeons sometimes fly away for no apparent reason.

Once pigeons become established on a building with a nest, they won’t leave unless we take some extraordinary measures to scare them away. More than just the nuisance of their noise, pigeons mess up the property with their droppings, which is strong enough to corrode painted walls and other materials. Pigeons often prefer to use the interior portions of buildings to nest and roost if an opportunity for access is provided.

Pigeons have lived alongside humans for thousands of years.  To ancient peoples a white pigeon would have seemed miraculous and that is why the bird was widely considered to be sacred.  People feed the pigeons daily at towns and cities for their various religious beliefs.  Some people feed pigeons because they believe that when they are reincarnated they will never go hungry if they have fed pigeons in their previous life.  Some religious groups believe that when a person dies his or her soul assumes the form of a bird (normally a pigeon) and therefore by feeding birds they are caring for the souls of their departed ancestors. Pigeon (or dove) is also referred in the Bible and its image is used extensively in Christian art.

Throughout human history the pigeon has adopted many roles such as symbols of god, messengers, pets and even food. Pigeons were used as messenger to great extent in olden days as this was the sole source of communication. In both the first and second World Wars the pigeon saved thousands of human lives by carrying messages across enemy lines. In the Second World War pigeons were used less due to advances in telecommunications. The word ‘pigeon’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘pipio’ which meant ‘young bird’.  The word then passed into Old French as ‘pijon’ and thus the English name ‘pigeon’ was derived and is now used the world over as a common name.

Pigeons are also one of the fastest birds in the air, and one of the few birds of prey that can catch them is falcons. Pigeons can fly up to 40 or 50 miles per hour and may travel as far as 600 miles a day. They always find their way back home. There are many theories about how pigeons manage to return ‘home’ when released 100’s of miles away.  One theory concluded that pigeons use roads and freeways to navigate. Other theories include navigation by use of the earth’s magnetic fields, visual clues such as landmarks, the sun and even infrasound (low frequency seismic waves). Whatever the truth, this unique ability makes the pigeon a very special bird.

The pigeon has side mounted eyes unlike humans and owls which have forward facing eyes.  As a pigeons have monocular vision rather than binocular vision they bob their heads for depth of perception. The pigeon’s eyes work much better with stationary images and therefore, as the pigeon takes a step forward the head is temporarily left behind.  The next step jerks the head forward again and so on.  This allows the bird to correctly orient itself. 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.

The feral pigeon can breed up to 8 times a year in optimum conditions, bringing two young into the world each time.  The frequency of breeding is dictated by the abundance of food.  The eggs take 18/19 days to hatch with both parents incubating the eggs.  Young dependant pigeons are commonly known as ‘squabs’.  Both parents feed the young with a special ‘pigeon milk’ that is regurgitated and fed to the squabs.  Each squab can double its birth weight in one day but it takes 4 days for the eyes to open. When squabs are hungry they ‘squeak’ whilst flapping their wings and as a result they are also commonly known as ‘squeakers’.  At approximately 2 months of age the young are ready to fledge and leave the nest. Most small birds rear and fledge their young in 2/3 weeks with young birds sometimes leaving the nest after only 10 days of life, but pigeons are different, their young remain in the nest for up to 2 months before fledging.  This gives the young pigeon an advantage over many other species of bird. It leaves the nest as a relatively mature bird.

Pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the plannet. The humble pigeon has attracted some vary famous fans over the last few thousand years ranging from Royalty to rock and roll singers and actors through to fashion designers.  One of the most famous royals is Queen Elizabeth of England who has lofts and pigeon keepers at her estate. Elvis Presley had a soft spot for pigeons and Mike Tyson is also an enthusiastic pigeon keeper.  Even Maurizzo Gucci the internationally renowned fashion designer is a keen pigeon fancier.  Last but not least, and probably the most famous of all... Noah!