Facts About Pigeons

Pigeons are medium sized birds, with strong bodies and slender beaks and belong to the Columbidae family. They are found almost all over the world and have over 300 species. A young dove or pigeon is known as ‘squab’. Pigeons are known to be very intelligent birds and have a history of being domesticated and trained for taking messages across long distances, till telegraph was invented. The pigeon is known to build a flimsy nest of sticks and twigs and usually lays 2 eggs. These are incubated by both male and female in turns and young chicks are cared for till the time they are ready to fly. Check out some interesting facts and amazing information about pigeons.

Facts About Pigeons

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Columbiformes

Family: Columbidae

Species: 300

Diet: Seeds, Fruits, Insects, etc.

Natural Habitat: All around the earth, except the driest and coldest regions

Number of Offspring: 2 eggs

Age: 10 - 15 years

Age of Sexual Maturity: As early as 6 months of age

Interesting & Amazing Information about Pigeons

All domestic pigeons have one common ancestor, which is the Rock Dove Pigeon.
Pigeons are known to survive for almost 10-15 years in their natural habitats. The longest recorded life-span of a pigeon was around 33 years!
Pigeons and doves are known to produce crop milk, which they use to feed their young ones. It contains a highly nutritious amount of protein and fat and is produced by both male and female.
The famous dove of the Noah’s ark was actually a homing pigeon. It has been long since regarded as a symbol of life and is considered to be a religious symbol.
Pigeons have been domesticated since times immemorial and have used to transport small messages across long distances. In fact, famous leaders of the past like Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, etc. have used pigeons to get important messages across long distances.
Pigeons are also bred for racing and can clock upto speeds ranging between 60 - 80 miles per hour. They can fly upto 80 to 600 miles in one single day.
A research recently established that trained pigeons were more than twice as reliable as humans and much swift in spotting red and yellow jackets floating on water and thus could be efficient life-savers.

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