If you become infected with pigeon droppings, wash your hands or clean everything that came in contact with them, especially before eating or drinking. If your immunity is low then it is better to stay away from pigeon droppings.
Pigeons became domesticated thousands of years ago
However, it is also very important to mention that we should not make the pigeon a villain. These are also an important part of nature. The only difference is that in the last hundreds of years we have seriously tampered with its natural way of living and eating. Even if we do not feed these pigeons, they will still find food for themselves. The gray pigeons you see are actually Feral Pigeons, that is, pigeons that were domesticated thousands of years ago and some of their branches became wild again.
Pigeons are among those birds which reproduce very rapidly. Its population increases rapidly. They can lay two eggs six times a year. That means, a pair of pigeons gives birth to twelve new pigeons in a year. Pigeon babies leave the nest in 30 to 37 days and then they also become capable of breeding. If this is also included in the count, then one pair produces 45 pigeons in a year.
For many such reasons pigeons are called flying rats. Like rats, their population increases rapidly. Like rats, they also spread many diseases. And like them, they become accustomed to rapidly changing conditions and urban areas. In 1960, considering pigeons responsible for meningitis, the then New York City Parks Commissioner called pigeons rats with wings. But it is important to keep in mind that if we stop feeding pigeons, it is possible that the pace of their population growth may slow down. He should not become such a cause of trouble for us.
Pigeons pair for the whole life
Poor pigeons have also been victims of bad media coverage, otherwise there have been many good things in them too. Just like pigeons pair up for life. One of the most special things about pigeons is that even if you leave them somewhere far away from where they live, they still come back to the same place. This quality of theirs has also helped them in being used as messengers for thousands of years. There has been a lot of research done related to how they are able to do this. For example, according to some research, they travel with the help of the Earth’s magnetic field. Apart from this, they can also return to their home with the help of smell and sound. Some research also says that they estimate their path based on the position of the sun. Whatever may be the case, before the advent of telegram, pigeon was the most effective and fastest means of conveying messages.
These common pigeons flying around us i.e. Rock Pigeons were originally from North Africa, Southern Europe and South-West Asia. They used to live and make nests on high rocks in the forests. Due to their qualities, they were gradually made pets and taken to other countries of the world. In 1606, European immigrants took them with them to North America, where they evolved into the urban rock pigeon. Today they have become a part of the skyline of many cities in America.
If we talk about India, at one time keeping pigeons had become a hobby of the Nawabs. From Old Delhi to Lucknow and Bhopal, pigeon lovers used to keep them and enjoy flying them in the sky from their rooftops. He even used to try to bring the pigeons that had flown from someone else’s roof to his own with the help of his own pigeons. This was called pigeonholing. That is why later this word also started being used for sending people to other countries by crossing the border illegally. A well-known singer Daler Mehndi was also sentenced on the same charge of pigeonholing.
Evidence of pigeon farming 5000 years ago
Experts believe that the pigeon was one of the first birds to be domesticated by humans because it was easy to train. They very soon became habituated and trustful of humans.
Evidence of domestication of wild pigeons goes back about 5000 years. Evidence related to historical civilizations like Mesopotamia and Egypt show that pigeons were a part of their life. It was used for eating as well as for blowing. There is mention of raising pigeons in clay tablets of Mesopotamian civilization and Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to 3000 years before Christ. The ancient Egyptians used to release pigeons to mark the birth of a new pharaoh. Pigeons were important in Persia, Israel, China and many other cultures. It was reared for food, used for religious rituals, used in sports and most importantly, it was used as a messenger to carry letters. Pigeons were used as symbols of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus. In medieval Europe, there was even a superstition about them that devils and witches could transform themselves into any bird but could not transform into pigeons. This was seen as the sacredness of pigeons.
Historically in China, the pigeon was considered a symbol of loyalty and longevity. It has also been associated with love, motherhood and reproduction. Pigeons were also considered a symbol of peace. Even today, there is a trend of flying them as a symbol of peace. But perhaps it is an ingrained bias in us regarding colors that white pigeons have always been flown as a symbol of peace, not gray pigeons. Those which are flown as a symbol of peace are called doves which are slightly smaller in size, although they belong to the pigeon family.
Olive leaves in pigeon’s beak means message of peace
Olive leaves are also shown in the beaks of pigeons as a message of peace. There is a similar mention in the Bible, where God, angry with the spread of sin and corrupt practices on earth, said that He will destroy all humans through a flood. But the only good-hearted and holy man on earth alerted Noah about the flood and told him to bring his family and a pair of every animal to the boat. There was a flood on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Amidst this flood, Noah sent a pigeon flying from the boat to search for land. The first pigeon returned like this but the second pigeon brought olive leaves in its beak which showed that the land was nearby. It is said that on this basis also the pigeon came to be considered auspicious.
The famous naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin, who gave the theory of the process of biological evolution, also studied pigeons while preparing his theory of evolution by natural selection and on the basis of this it helped him in preparing the theory of evolution.
By the way, when we talk about pigeons, usually the picture in our mind is of gray or white pigeons and not of any greenish yellow pigeon. We are not talking about a parrot, we are talking about a pigeon which is a resident of the country’s capital Delhi. It is also called Hariyal, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon is a shy relative of the gray pigeon, which remains hidden among the leaves on trees, especially on the branches of Peepal and Banyan trees due to its color, descends very low on the ground and in the morning It is more visible at this time. The old people of Delhi would definitely recognize this. This is a beautiful bird. By the way, 352 species of pigeons have been found so far in the world.
Pigeon was the fastest messenger before telegram
Before the advent of telegram, pigeon was the fastest medium of conveying messages. Pigeons sent messages of love, harmony and friendship and also of war. For example, during the First and Second World Wars, the Signal Corps of the US Army used pigeons to send messages, which saved many lives and also conveyed important strategic information. One such pigeon, Cher Ami, included in the US Army Signal Corps, is still remembered today. Cher Ami is a French word meaning dear friend. At a time when in the First World War, the German army shot down every pigeon carrying messages, the pigeon Cher Ami successfully completed 12 missions amidst the thundering cannons and guns. His most dangerous mission was to save the 77th Division of the US Army, called the Lost Battalion.
Pigeon saved an American battalion
This battalion, surrounded by enemy German forces in the middle of the forest, was not able to tell its position to the American army. Even the bombs of our American army started falling on him. In such a situation, an officer of this battalion tied a message to the leg of Cher Ami, the only remaining pigeon, and sent it and told him his position. Amidst the roar of bullets and cannons, this pigeon covered a distance of 25 miles in half an hour and reached the American Army base. Then he too fell down due to a bullet. When he fell down, the lives of 194 American soldiers were saved because of the message tied to his leg. Then this pigeon was honored for its bravery in the battlefield. The injured pigeon was taken to America where it died of its wounds. His body was preserved and handed over to the Smithsonian Institution with honors. Even today it is kept with full respect in Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
