Humans are keeping pigeons for thousands of years. They are very innocent and a sign of peace and prosperity. These are the birds that are present in all parts of the world except the poles and some of the islands. Now their number is tremendously increasing in the cities. So why do people keep pigeons?
People have been raising pigeons for many years. In the early days, they were used for food and entertainment. These days they are used in racing, as pets, and in some countries, people keep them as a source of food.
Some more fascinating facts are illustrated below that you should see.
6 Reasons why people keep pigeons:
There are 6 reasons and the purposes due to which they are domesticated which are explained below.
For pigeon racing
Pigeons are birds that can return home. According to experts, they used the Earth’s magnetic field and the Sun to find the location. They often used landmarks on the ground such as roads, boards, rivers, hills, due to their keen eyesight.
Due to this ability, the racing of pigeons started. This is an old game. The first race was held almost two centuries ago in 1818. It was about a hundred miles.
All the birds are released from a specific place at the same time. There is a certain distance and the speed of the bird is calculated which is then compared with other pigeons. The pigeon with the fastest speed wins the race. Millions of dollars have been invested in this game. People spent a lot of money on racing to buy pigeons.
DID YOU KNOW? The most expensive racing pigeon was sold for 1.9 Million dollars in China
The question surely comes to your mind, how does a racing pigeon know where to go?
Racing pigeons are trained by experts. First, they are moved a short distance from home. After release, they return home. When they are adept at distinguishing between themselves and other homes, they are released over long distances. This allows the pigeons to know where to go.
But why are they so expensive? Pigeon racing is expensive because people are investing in them. A huge prize money is given to the owner. When a winning pigeon is on sale, everyone knows it can win and make them a lot of money. So they bid big on it as an investment. Everyone wants to get that golden bird, as the demand increases the price goes up.
Apart from this, they are given special food. They are 1 in thousands. Not every pigeon has the ability to fly such a long distance. A huge amount of money is spent on their training.
Pigeons can fly at speeds of 77 mph to 92 mph. 110 mph is the fastest speed of a racing pigeon but it has not been officially declared. So it could be wrong.
As pets
It may sound strange but pigeons can be kept as pets. They are innocent and intelligent. People keep them as pets because they are cheap and cute. If you love them, they will love you back.
Read pigeons as pets pros and cons,
This bird is very easy to breed. All you have to do is feed it. When he trusts you, he won’t be afraid to climb on you. For those who want quiet birds as pets, this is a great choice as they do not scream. They just coo. If you are sitting in one room, you cannot hear the sound in the other room.
Parrots need toys and they scream and chew furniture while pigeons don’t need toys for entertainment, they don’t chew. This bird has a calm and peaceful nature.
This is the reason why people keep pigeons in their homes. Parrots do not return home if they fly because they do not know the location. In contrast, pigeons are specialists. If they fly away, you don’t have to worry about it. At the end of the day, they return to the owner.
A pigeon can recognize its own face in a mirror. He can also memorize his benefactor, they prove to be good pets. One of the things that people hate the most is dropping them all over the house. People who want pets easily keep pigeons in their homes.
For Pigeon show
Pigeon fanciers arrange these shows. In this pigeons with different colors, feathers, beak shapes and bodies are competing for the prize. Judges decide which pigeon is the best.
Different breeds are crossed with each other for the best result. People keep them and mate with other species of pigeon for getting different results. This cross gives new types of this bird. According to wikipedia, there are 800-1100 species are there. 500 breeds alone are in Europe.
Pigeon fanciers then come from differenst parts of the world for competing with others. There are companies involved which arrange shows and give prizes. National young birds show and the National association grand national are some famous shows in America. While there are many other local shows happen all over the world.
Pigeon flying
In Asia especially in Pakistan and India, pigeon flying is very common. There are different races happen in which the pigeon spends most of the time in the sky wins the competition. People keep this bird, trained him for races, and give him special food.
The winner gets the prize. You can trap pigeons by using pigeon traps.
For meat
There is a business running around pigeons. Just like chicken they are also eaten in some parts of the world. Britain, Ireand, and India are some examples.
When a baby pigeon reaches the size of an adult pigeon, It is used as meat. At this stage, his weight is more than an adult pigeon because he outlearns to fly at that moment. Moreover, he is not burning calories as adults doing.
The squab’s meat tastes like ducks. People keep pigeons as a source of meat.
For getting poop
The droppings of pigeons in the past were considered fertilizers. Some farmers used it in their fields. They carry poops from the owners of pigeons and keep this bird on their farm for more results.
How do pigeons help humans
Pigeons are serving humans for a long time ago. In past, they help us by fulfilling the requirements of food. In world wars, they save the lives of many soldiers by sending messages. Now people are earning money through them pigeon racing and pigeon fancier competition.
They are also trained by the US Coast Guard to spot orange life jackets of people lost at sea. It is because they have better eyesight than humans They make this work easier and simple. In the past, their poopings are considered as fertilizers that serve the farming field too.
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