Domestication: Domestic pigeons were originally bred from the wild rock doves of Europe and Asia. Pigeons are believed to be some of the first birds to become domesticated with early depictions of their domestication being shown on artifacts such as Mesopotamian coins dating to 4500BCE. Since then, pigeons have been bred for a variety of purposes from meat animals to fancy breeds for pigeon shows and as racing birds. Historically, pigeons were used to deliver messages due to their homing abilities. One pigeon in particular, named G.I.JOE was responsible for saving the lives of over a thousand British soldiers during the Second World War by delivering a message to the American Airforce to hold off bombing an area of Italy the soldiers were occupying. G.I.JOE had flown over thirty kilometres in twenty minutes to deliver this message. This speed is one of the reasons that pigeons are commonly used for racing. Pigeon racing was first recorded in Egypt in 3000BCE and it has since been popular throughout the world, in Belgium in 1818, pigeon racing was first considered a sport with the first long distance race of over a hundred and sixty kilometres. Pigeon racing has since spread throughout North America and is increasingly popular in Asia with some pigeons worth over a million dollars due to their speed, homing abilities and record of races won.
Feral Pigeon, Philosopher's Walk, Toronto ON
Introduction: Because breeding pigeons had become such a common hobby in Europe, the hobby soon spread to North America during the time of colonization in the 1600s. The French were some of the first to bring pigeons over in 1606 through Port Royal in Nova Scotia. Since then, other introductions occurred such as in Virginia in 1621 and in Massachusetts in 1642. The captive pigeons soon escaped and multiplied exponentially as they were able to digest most human food and making use of the large buildings in cities that resembled their natural habitat of cliffs. Being adept at navigating has also allowed them to thrive in cities as they can easily identify where to find food in otherwise complex landscapes. Feral pigeons are considered invasive although the negative effects they have are mainly towards people and infrastructure, from their excrement damaging statues to the damage they can cause to airplanes by getting stuck in engines. Despite this, pigeons have benefited a number of predatory species such as the Cooper's hawk and peregrine falcon who populations have grown as a result of pigeon introduction.
Sources: "10 Bird Species Introduced to North America." Bird Protection Quebec, 29 Sept. 2016, pqspb.org/bpqpoq/10-bird-species-introduced-to-north-america/#:~:text=The%20French%20are%20credited%20with,(Nova%20Scotia)%20in%201606.&text=The%20rock%20pigeon%20was%20first,the%20world's%20o. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
Jones, Benji, and Steve Cameron. "Why American Cities have so many Pigeons." Business Insider, 11 Jan. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/how-pigeons-took-over-american-cities-new-york-city-habitat-2019-6. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
Kan, Karoline. "Inside the Fascinating and Sometimes Brutal World of Pigeon Racing in China." Cable News Network, 6 Apr. 2019, www.cnn.com/travel/article/pigeon-racing-china-intl/index.html. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
Lopez-Lopez, Pascual, et al. "The Role of Pigeon Consumption in the Population Dynamics and Breeding Performance of a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) population: Conservation Implications." Research Gate, European Journal of Wildlife Research, Apr. 2009, www.researchgate.net/publication/225820813_The_role_of_pigeon_consumption_in_the_population_dynamics_and_breeding_performance_of_a_peregrine_falcon_Falco_peregrinus_population_Conservation_imp. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
Meyer, Otto. "Pigeons in War." Canadian Racing Pigeon Union, 2017, www.crpu.ca/our-sport/pigeons-in-war/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.