I saw a twitter conversation today in which the humble pigeon was once again the subject of ridicule. It’s true there are probably more interesting birds out there, but I want to mount some sort of defence of the poor bird.
Let’s start by talking about how they take-off. Vertically! The first flap takes
them straight up into the air. The second, with a little dip of the head moves them forward. Of course, this is not unique. Thousands of birds do this, but most of these, tend to be a lot smaller than pigeons. Seagulls for instance can’t do it, they have to run a few steps.
Next time you see a pigeon and get too close, watch for the double flap.
In my last post I talked about the fighting pigeons I had seen. It had never struck me that they would squabble like that. Quite the experience. The fact they do this in front of us just adds to the amazement!
What else do you think of when you think of pigeons? Homing pigeons? Pigeon Post? Stop the Pigeon? Well the first have been known to travel over 1,000km, the second was used by the Romans over 2000 years ago and the third takes me to Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. And that is always a good thing! Medal! Medal! Medal!
This last one also takes me to the all star cast of the 2005 film: Valiant, which was based on the real pigeons of World War II who were awarded Dickin medals for their gallantry and bravery in saving human lives with their actions.
So next time you see a pigeon and think ‘flying rat’ (btw ALL birds carry disease) I ask you to think of the long and distinguished history these birds have in serving US humans. In the bird world they are top of the tree in this regard!
