1) Pigeons are the earliest domesticated birds of mankind.
The relationship between humans and pigeons can be traced
back to the dawn of civilization, perhaps even earlier. Domesticated pigeons
(also known as rock pigeons) were first depicted in hieroglyphics on clay
plates of the Mesopotamian period, and their history can be traced back to
5,000 years ago. Some scholars even believe that birds were raised by Neolithic
people, dating back 10,000 years.
2) Pigeons
do some backflips in the air, but no one knows why
As we all know, many birds will perform excellent aerial
acrobatics in order to hunt down prey or avoid themselves being eaten, but
these moves are rarely more impressive than pigeons doing backflips. No one
knows why certain types of pigeons will flip backwards in flight, although some
people suspect that this is just for fun.
3) Pigeons
have learned to ride the subway and are model passengers
The train drivers there said that since the early 1990s,
they have seen pigeons ride the subway regularly-they are actually imitating
passengers.
4) Pigeons
know people who are friendly to them
Although they seem to be spaced apart sometimes, the
pigeons still remember the faces they touched. In a study of birds in central
Paris, two researchers provided food for birds or drove them away. After
repeating the above steps in multiple visits, even if the pigeons were wearing
different clothes, the pigeons started to avoid the chaser and were attracted
to the feeder.
5) Pigeons
use kaleidoscope to see the world.
Pigeons have extraordinary vision and can distinguish
shades of almost the same color. For example, humans have a triple color
perception system, while pigeon photoelectric sensors and filters can
distinguish up to five spectral bands, making their world appear to be a
virtual kaleidoscope.
6) Pigeons
are the only birds that can absorb water.
7) Pigeons
have been taught letters
Pigeons are not fools. A study found that birds can be
taught to distinguish each letter of the alphabet from all other letters, and
to recognize them in a very similar way to humans, even confusing letters that
some people often make mistakes.
8) Pigeons
are also very capable mathematicians.
Another study found that pigeons have the same mathematical
abilities as non-human primates, demonstrating the ability to learn abstract
mathematical concepts, distinguish between digital objects, sequence pairs, and
accurately determine quantity. So far, except for humans, only equivalent
mathematical skills have been recorded in rhesus monkeys.
9)
Pigeons can learn to play table tennis
In the 1950s, the psychologist B.F Skinner tried to prove
that animal behavior is not only affected by instinct, but also by external
factors. To prove his point, he successfully taught several pigeons how to play
table tennis.
10) One of
them rescued nearly 200 American troops in the First World War
In 1918, in the final weeks of the First World War, a group
of 194 US soldiers were trapped behind the enemy and expelled by the advancing
Germans and their allies by mistakenly thinking they were allies. Their only
hope of getting rid of the difficulties is to bring a few hens with them.
When the first two birds were shot down, only one pigeon
named Cher Ami was left to convey this message. Although the brave bird was
shot several times after leaving the bunker, he survived and issued a
life-saving notice. The dove was awarded the French Cross Medal for bravery,
which is an honor awarded by the French army to foreign troops.
11) Pigeons
can fly up to 100 mph
Although they are not always shown, some pigeons can fly
very fast and can fly long distances, and some pigeons can burst briefly to
reach a speed of 100 miles per hour.
12) In
fact, sometimes they may be faster than the Internet.
In 2009, a pigeon named Winston proved to be faster than
the ADSL service provided by the largest network company in South Africa. This
birdie keeps pace with the data transmitted by Internet provider Telkon,
carrying a 4GB memory stick on a 60-mile route. Winston can physically transmit
data in just an hour, and uploading its digital data takes about two hours.
13) Pigeons
helped establish Reuters.
In the 1840s, before beginning to become one of the largest
international news agencies, Paul Julius Reuter tried to release information in
a better way in a timely manner. His initial attempt to establish a news
service involved using flocks of pigeons to deliver long-distance letters,
although they lost their jobs shortly after Reuters switched to telegraph.
16) Pigeons
have also become very good parents.
The cocks and hens share their responsibilities in the
nesting task, and share the responsibility for hatching eggs with another
pigeon to eat and rest. Pigeons do not build nests in trees, but want to start
family life in a safe environment with rocky cliffs, or if in a more urban
environment, hide them on the side of the building.
17) Pigeons
children are cute, but rare
Little pigeons are rare, because their doting parents only
allow them to leave after they are about to reach adulthood. This is what they
look like:
18) Pigeons
are everywhere
Today, there are an estimated 260 million pigeons
inhabiting almost every city in the world, and there may be more people living
and interacting with humans than any other animal on the planet.
It may be because they are so common that people often tend
to ignore what kind of great animals they are.
19) Pigeons
can find a nest 1300 miles away.
Even if birds are transported in isolation (with no clues
to sight, smell or magnetism), birds can do this, and scientists rotate the
cage so that they don't know in which direction they are moving. This is a
mystery, but people began to use pigeon navigation skills at least in 3000 BC,
when people in ancient times would let go of the caged pigeons and then follow
them to the nearby land.
Their navigation skills also make pigeons a great
long-distance messenger. It is said that sports fans in ancient Greece used
highly trained pigeons to carry the results of the ancient Olympics. In the
farther east, Genghis Khan keeps in touch with his allies and enemies through
the pigeon-based postal network.
20) During
the First and Second World Wars, they saved thousands of lives.
The return of pigeons can continue to shape the history of
the 20th century. In both world wars, the hostile countries had flocks of
pigeon couriers. (In World War II alone, the United States had 200,000 people
available.) By providing important updates, birds saved thousands of lives. A
bird racer named Cher Ami completed a mission and rescued 194 stranded American
soldiers on October 4, 1918.
21) Pigeons
are really good at multitasking.
According to a study, they are more efficient multitasking
programs than humans. Scientists at the University of Bochum in Bochum formed a
test group of 15 people and 12 pigeons, and trained them to complete two simple
tasks (for example, press the keyboard once the light bulb was lit) . They are
still in a situation where they need to stop one job and switch to another job.
In some trials, participants must make changes immediately. During these test
runs, humans and pigeons switch between jobs at the same speed.
But in other experiments, the test subjects were allowed to
complete a task, and then they had to wait 300 milliseconds before continuing
to the next job. Interestingly, during these runs, the pigeons started the
second task faster after the stage. In the avian brain, nerve cells are packed
more densely, which may allow our feathered friends to process information
faster than we can under appropriate circumstances.
22) Pigeons
produce fake "milk".
Only mammals can produce pure milk, but pigeons and pigeons
(and some other birds) will feed their pups something similar-a white liquid
full of nutrients, fat, antioxidants and healthy protein, called "Crop
milk". Both cocks and hens produce milk from crops, which is part of the
esophagus and is designed to temporarily store food. Like mammalian milk, the
production of crop milk is regulated by prolactin. Newly hatched pigeons will
drink crop milk until weaning in about four weeks. (If you have ever asked
yourself, "Where are all the pigeons?" We have the answer here for
you.)
23) Why do
pigeons shake their heads?
The eyes of pigeons are installed on the side, which is
different from that of humans and owls. Because pigeons have monocular vision
rather than binocular vision, they will swing their heads to obtain the
perceived depth. The dove's eyes function much better under still images, so
when the dove takes a step forward, the head temporarily falls behind. Next
move your head forward again, and so on. This can orient the bird correctly.
24) How do
pigeons navigate?
There are many theories about how pigeons manage to return
to "home" when they leave the loft 100 miles. The winning pigeons can
be released 400 to 600 miles from home and returned within a day. This amazing
feat does not only apply to "pigeons" or "home" pigeons.
All pigeons have the ability to restore habitat. A 10-year study conducted by
Oxford University concluded that pigeons use roads and highways to navigate,
and in some cases even change the direction of highway intersections. Other
theories include navigation cues using the earth ’s magnetic field, landmarks,
the sun and even infrasound (low-frequency seismic waves). Regardless of the
fact, this unique ability makes pigeons a very special bird.
25) Are
pigeons smart?
Pigeons are considered to be one of the smartest birds on
the planet, able to undertake the only protection task previously considered to
be humans and primates. This pigeon has also passed the "mirror test"
(to be able to identify its reflection in the mirror), and is one of the only 6
species with this ability, and the only non-mammal. The pigeon can also
recognize all 26 English letters and can conceptualize it. In scientific tests,
it was found that pigeons can distinguish photos after receiving food rewards,
and can even distinguish two different people in the photos.
26) Pigeons
never forget, never forgive
One of the most surprising facts about pigeons is a study a
few years ago. According to a 2011 study, wild pigeons have the ability to
recognize faces, and it is difficult to be fooled.
In this study, two researchers with similar appearances
wore two different color lab coats in the park. There, they treat pigeons very
differently. One person stays calm and allows the pigeons to eat, while the
other person is aggressive and drives the birds away when they try to eat.
After that, the two researchers returned to the scene, neither of them tried to
drive away the birds. From then on, the pigeons will avoid a researcher who has
chased them in the past. Even if the researchers changed their colored lab
coats, the pigeons were still able to determine who had chased them in the
past. This shows that these birds can distinguish researchers based on facial
features alone.
This also reveals to a certain extent ...
27) Pigeons
have quite a long memory
Among other little-known facts about pigeons, do you know
that the bird has excellent memory? The above research on facial recognition is
proof. The study was repeated several times and the results were similar. The
pigeons remembered the researcher who drove them away. When they came back
later, they still remember the researcher even if they wore different clothes.
Another study further tested the pigeon's long-term memory.
A study conducted by the Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
measured the memory ability of pigeons and baboons. Pigeons and baboons are
given pictures and colors, and are trained to remember the colors associated
with each picture. Pigeons can remember 800 to 1200 picture color combinations.
Although they do not remember how many combinations baboons have, they still
remember a considerable number.
28) Pigeons
can be extremely colorful
When you think of the word "pigeon", what kind of
bird do you imagine? Do you think of a medium-sized gray bird wandering on the
city street? Most of us do this. However, these are just a pigeon. Pigeons and
pigeons are all over the world, many of them are shockingly beautiful. For
example, fruit pigeons are a group of pigeons, they usually show bright hues of
green, yellow and red.
29) Pigeons
grab seeds not necessarily to eat
Sad pigeons-when they grab seeds from the ground, they do not necessarily eat them. Instead, they are storing for future digestion. The seeds are collected in "crops", which are just the enlarged part of their esophagus.
What do
pigeons like to eat?
In the world's major cities, pigeons are ordinary birds.
Many people think that pigeons will be annoying, and there are scavengers such
as crows and hi. The cooing of pigeons is similar to the cooing of pigeons.
People tend to treat pigeons as dirty pests and pigeons as a clean symbol of
peace, but they do come from the same family. The reputation of pigeons as a
pest can eat anything in most cases should not be.
Background
The common name that pigeons are most likely to see is the
rock pigeon. The scientific name of the pigeon is Columba livia, from the
Columbidae family, there are more than 300 kinds. They originated in Europe,
Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The pigeons first arrived in North America in
Nova Scotia, Canada with Europeans in the 1600s. Some of them were domesticated
and trained as racing pigeons and homing pigeons. Today, pigeons are considered
wild because they are descendants of escaped domestic pigeons.
Food
Domestic and wild pigeons like to eat grains and seeds.
Wild pigeons also eat bread crumbs, popcorn, and food left by others. If they
had to choose between bread and bird food, then a wild pigeon would choose bird
food, which usually contains various seeds and grains. Domestic pigeons cannot
eat leftover lunch in the park, so their diet includes their favorite food:
cereals, including corn, peas, wheat and sorghum. The grain was not cooked or
burst, but was fed to the raw pigeons.
Eating
habits
Pigeons will swallow the whole food, store it at the bottom
of the throat, and then pass it to the digestive system. Pigeons need gravel
(pebbles or rocks) to process food in order to break it down into nutrients.
Wild pigeons can easily find gravel, but the owners of domestic pigeons need to
provide gravel. Drinking water helps digestion and is also important for pigeon
bathing-debunking the myth of pigeon dirty.
Reputation
The reputation of pigeons as a disease-carrying bird is
wrong. Feces left by pigeons may carry disease, not pigeons. People living in
the city often take a bath to keep themselves clean. As we all know, wild
pigeons eat a lot of human food, such as bread crumbs, popcorn and other
leftovers. This leads people to believe that when all they do is clean up
people, this bird is a scavenger and annoying.
What do
baby pigeons eat?
Both male and female pigeons (and pigeons) produce
"crop milk" to feed the young chicks in the nest during the first
week of their life. This is the shedding of cells in the lining of crops.
After the first week, adult chickens will begin to feed
chicks with seeds and other plant matter and soften them by keeping them in their
crops for a period of time. As the dwarfs grow, they are weaned from milk and
softened seeds and do not reach adulthood until about four weeks old, mainly
seeds and / or fruits (depending on species and habitat) and some worm and
insect diets.
The
different of species
1) Rock Pigeon
It is bigger and fuller than the pigeons in the morning.
The color is variable, but most birds are blue-gray, with two black bands on
the wings and a black tip on the tail. Most birds have iridescent throat
feathers. The wing pattern may contain two bar graphs with black dots or may be
flat. The tail is usually dark. Pigeons are familiar birds in towns. You will
also see them around the fields and in the rocky cliffs of the prototype
habitat.
2) Mourning dove
They are mainly seed eaters, not insect eaters. They can
and do eat weed seeds, which is undoubtedly valuable for gardeners, farmers,
and people living near the weeds. (However, they do like corn.)
CooooOOOOO-woo-woo-woo's calls are almost always made by males
instead of females, and (waiting) is a kind of call, which is a temptation to a
partner or potential partner.
3) Passenger
Pigeons
The male body is pink with a blue-gray head. Place a white
egg in a fragile branch. There may be more than 100 nests in a tree. The
natural enemies of passenger pigeons are eagles, owls, weasels, skunks and
arboreal snakes. Pigeons sometimes forage in newly planted grain fields, but
little damage to crops
Why are
passenger pigeons extinct?
Although turtledove is a victim of human hunters, we still
cannot know exactly how the species has dropped from billions to zero in 50
years.
With the extinction of the species, the extinct pigeons are
indeed a remarkable achievement of mankind, which is unparalleled in recorded
history: due to our passion for brutal killing and the destruction of
large-scale habitats, these iconic birds The number has dropped from billions
to only zero years. In the 1800s, the environment of pigeons suddenly changed
due to hunting.
4) Eurasian turtledove
They are larger than mourning pigeons, but slender
and long-tailed than rock pigeons. Eurasian turtledove is a light brown to
grayish yellow chalk bird with white patches on its tail. The bird's collar is
a narrow black crescent on the neck. During flight and perching, the wing tip
is darker than the rest of the wing. Eurasian collared turtle doves live in
cities and suburbs in most parts of the United States (except for the Northeast
region).
The diet is mainly seeds, some berries and insects.
The diet in North America is unknown. In Europe, it feeds on the waste cereals
of many cultivated crops, as well as the seeds of many plants. Eat some berries
and small insects, rarely snails. They also eat bread crumbs and other human
food.
5) Pigeons with banded tail
The banded turtledove is a large pigeon with a
purple-grey head and a gray body. Adult pigeons have a white crescent or collar
on the nape. The upper half of the tail is dark gray, while the lower half is
light gray. The banded turtle dove has red eyes and a unique yellow beak with a
black tip. The wings are pointed and the tail is long. Males and females look
similar, but females look darker. The juvenile is evenly tan and has no neck.
The banded turtledove makes an
owl-like ot or —call when it chirps. These voices are deep, but the tone is
soft. They tweet in a similar way to other Columbus. During the flight, the
banded turtledove's wings clapped loudly when they met above the rear.
Tailed pigeons are found in many
habitats on the West Coast and Southwest of the United States and throughout
Mexico. Tail pigeons can also be found in southern Alaska and South America.
6) White-winged pigeon
White-winged pigeons are plump
square-tailed pigeons with relatively long, thin banknotes and small heads.
Most pastures are on the ground, but they are also planted in trees, shrubs,
and cacti. It is often seen on the top of the giant cactus saguaro and feeds on
fruits or flowers.
It is possible to build nests in
colonies, especially in isolated groves where nesting sites are surrounded by good
foraging areas. In the courtship display, the male slapped and then fell
sharply. When perching, the male lifted his tail and quickly fanned the fan
shape to open and close to flash the black and white tail pattern.
7) Nicobar
Pigeon
The body is plump, with long tail, short legs, short
stature, and the head is particularly small compared to the body. The long,
pointed tail is unique among North American pigeons.
This pigeon can be found from the Nicobar Islands to the
east through the Malay Archipelago, the small islands and coastal areas of the
Solomons and Palau.
8) Dodo
pigeons
The dodo, which is larger than the turkey, weighs about 23
kilograms (about 50 pounds). It has blue-gray feathers, a big head, a
23-centimeter (9-inch) black banknote, a hooked needle tip with a red sheath,
small useless wings, thick yellow legs, and a cluster of curly feathers tall at
the rear . The Reunion Solitaire may be the white version of the dodo. Brown
Rodriguez cards are taller, taller, slimmer, with smaller heads, short
banknotes without bulky hooks, and knobs on their wings.
The largest and strangest pigeon is the Dodo (Dodo), a huge
bird (three feet tall and weighing up to 40 pounds), similar to the giant found
only on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius (Eden without predators)
Incubator. It could not survive the first contact with our species. It was
killed contemptuously as a healthy food. It was a tough food for visiting
sailors and a healthy food for corned beef. When the concept of extinction did
not even exist, the dodo disappeared in 1662.
9) Yellow-footed green pigeon
This pigeon is a stout bird, 33 cm long, greenish yellow,
with black wings and yellow edges. It has a small patch of lilac on its
shoulder. The iris is blue and the outer circle is pink. The bill is soft and
the bottom is swollen and green. Gender is similar, although women may appear
dull by comparison.
10)
Thick-billed green pigeon
The male has a light green bushy base, a red base, broad
green earrings, a gray crown, maroon wings, and most of them are green
undersides. Females are similar to males, but lack maroon wings. Both sexes are
similar to females, but males will soon begin to show adult feathers.
11) Nilgiri
Pigeon
The Nilgiri wooden pigeon (Columba elphinstonii) is a large
pigeon that is 35 to 40 cm long and weighs 380 grams.
The head area and lower part are light blue. The mantle is
purple maroon. The back neck has black and white patterns, caused by black
feathers with white tips. The tail is dark gray. The bottom of the bill is red,
and the tip of the bill is light yellow. The feet are red. Their calls are
low-frequency calls.
Ecosystem
and habitat
These Nilgiri wood pigeon species are highly dependent on
the forest. These species occur at an altitude of 50 to 2250 meters. They are
actually limited to moist evergreen and semi-evergreen forest ecosystems.
Nilgiri wood pigeon species inhabit tropical and
subtropical humid lowland forests, tropical and subtropical humid mountain
forests, humid evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, shola forests, dense
ravines, foothill forests, plantations And humid deciduous forests in rare
cases.
12) Crowned
pigeon Scheepmaker
The southern crowned pigeon (Goura scheepmakeri)-also known
as the chestnut-breasted pigeon or Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon-is a large
pigeon restricted to the lowland forests of southern New Guinea. It has
blue-gray feathers, a delicate blue lace crown, a red iris and a very deep
chestnut breast.
The species was first discovered by Otto Finsch, who found
a live bird obtained from trader C. Scheepmaker at the Amsterdam Zoo and named
it after him .
13) Wanga
Pigeon
The Wonga pigeon, or Wonga Wonga, is a large, plump
ground-dwelling pigeon with a small head, short and wide wings, and a long
tail. The upper part is mainly gray, and the face is pale, the chest has a
clear white V shape, the lower part is white, and the dark brown crescent and
wedge are prominently marked on the upper part. The eyes are dark reddish
brown, with pink eye circles and black fluff (the area between the bill and the
eyes), bills, feet and legs from dark pink to red.
The food for Wonga Dove is the seeds of local and imported
plants, as well as fallen fruits and occasional insects. It only feeds on the
ground and usually walks a long distance along a clear route. It mainly eats in
the early morning and afternoon, sometimes forming large groups in food-rich
places.
14) Socorro
pigeons
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