{"id":16534,"date":"2021-11-10T12:45:31","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T17:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=16534"},"modified":"2021-12-21T14:10:05","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T19:10:05","slug":"why-you-should-appreciate-pigeons-yes-pigeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/why-you-should-appreciate-pigeons-yes-pigeons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Appreciate Pigeons. Yes, Pigeons."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We all love birdwatching, but\u2014pigeons? Who cares about pigeons? Rosemary Mosco, the creator of the nature comic Bird and Moon<\/a> (and Mass Audubon alum), has a new book out that explains why these ubiquitous city birds deserve a second look. It\u2019s called A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World\u2019s Most Misunderstood Bird<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, Rosemary shares some of the most frequent questions she gets asked about pigeons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should I care about pigeons?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our aloof attitude towards pigeons is a new thing. For much of human history, people loved them. Native to parts of northern Africa, Europe, and western Asia, rock pigeons (Columba livia<\/em>) were domesticated in the Middle East by least four or five thousand years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People used them for meat, for poop (a potent fertilizer), and to carry important messages. Pigeon fans developed all sorts of amazing and fancy breeds, just as with dogs and cats. The birds became a symbol of peace and love, and in some places, only elites were allowed to keep them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colonists brought them to North America in the 1600s. But over time, pigeons became obsolete with the introduction of chicken meat, chemical fertilizer, the telegraph. People began to forget why there were pigeons everywhere. It\u2019s a sad tale\u2014feral pigeons are just like feral dogs and cats, but we\u2019ve forgotten why they\u2019re here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, but why should I watch pigeons?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re surprisingly fun to watch! They mate for life and dance for their partners. They feed milk to their young\u2014both male and female pigeons make a rich, fatty milk in their throats and puke it into their chicks\u2019 mouths. Pigeons come in a mix of cool colors because of their purebred past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, watching them can help you find hard-to-spot birds of prey. Peregrine falcons, Cooper\u2019s hawks, red-tailed hawks, and all sorts of other birds prey on pigeons. If you see a flock of pigeons burst into the air, scan the skies for a raptor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between a pigeon and a dove?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no real difference. The beautiful white symbol of peace is the same as the city pigeon. Pigeons and doves belong to the scientific family Columbidae. It\u2019s a big, amazing family full of beautiful members such as the mourning dove, Nicobar pigeon, and dodo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within that family, people randomly named some birds \u201cpigeons\u201d and some birds \u201cdoves,\u201d regardless of who\u2019s related to whom. But wait, why do we have two English words for the same thing? It might date back to the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The word \u201cpigeon\u201d comes from French and the word \u201cdove\u201d has Old English roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do pigeons harm the environment?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They certainly annoy people when they poop on statues or nest on our balconies. Pigeons are now a major part of the urban ecosystem, but for the most part they don\u2019t have a huge impact on wild spaces. They tend to stay near human settlements\u2014that\u2019s what people bred them to do! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are exceptions, though. In the Galapagos, for example, pigeons were exterminated so they wouldn\u2019t spread disease to the rare native Galapagos dove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do I never see baby pigeons?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In their wild past, pigeons nested in cavities in cliffs. In urban areas, they nest in crevices in buildings or under bridges. Babies don\u2019t emerge from these safe places until they\u2019re old enough that they look a lot like their parents\u2014just with duller plumage and paler eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not ever see pigeon chicks (which is a shame, because they\u2019re gangly, fluffy, and amazing-looking). You\u2019ll hear them, though. They make a high-pitched whistling noise. Listen for that sound when you\u2019re walking around the city or under a bridge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all love birdwatching, but\u2014pigeons? Who cares about pigeons? Rosemary Mosco, the creator of the nature comic Bird and Moon (and Mass Audubon alum), has a new book out that explains why these ubiquitous city birds deserve a second look. It\u2019s called A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World\u2019s Most Misunderstood […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[386,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-birds-birding","category-stuff-we-love"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/11\/9781523511341.in03-thumb-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-4iG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3969,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-passenger-pigeon-a-cautionary-tale\/","url_meta":{"origin":16534,"position":0},"title":"The Passenger Pigeon: A Cautionary Tale","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"August 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"September 1, 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon. 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Join the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 13-16! Mass Audubon has a long history of partnering with friends and members to collect backyard bird sightings. Massachusetts residents have been sending us their observations for over 40 years, and this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\u00a9 Susumu Kishihara","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/02\/161SusumuKishihara3650-300x240.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5968,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-feed-the-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":16534,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Feed the Birds","author":"Rosemary","date":"August 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's time for the Audubon Shop's Bird Feeder Sale! 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Visit the Audubon Shop in Lincoln to find the right bird feeder for your window or outdoor space, and get in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Nadine-Ronan-FOF-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Nadine-Ronan-FOF-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/08\/Nadine-Ronan-FOF-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7152,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/its-time-to-nest\/","url_meta":{"origin":16534,"position":3},"title":"It’s Time to Nest","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Provide a home for birds, learn about their nests, and make your own nest cozier\u00a0with these picks from the Audubon Shop. Find a selection of items in our\u00a0online shop or visit us in person at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, MA. Also, don't miss our in-store only events: Spring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stuff We Love"","block_context":{"text":"Stuff We Love","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/stuff-we-love\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Audubon Clock","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/02\/audubonclock.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2362,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-baby-bird\/","url_meta":{"origin":16534,"position":4},"title":"What to Do if You Find a Baby Bird","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If there\u2019s one question people ask us the most this time of year, it\u2019s some variation of \u201cI found a baby bird\u2014what should I do?\u201d And we get it. When you come across a helpless-looking baby bird out of its nest, it's hard to resist the overpowering urge to come\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3393\/3642396299_03c55fc2e8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7022,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-love-birds\/","url_meta":{"origin":16534,"position":5},"title":"Take 5: Love Birds","author":"Rosemary","date":"February 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Valentine's Day is just around the corner. 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