Thursday, April 22, 2010
The highest priced Homing Pigeon was sold for $225,000.
Pigeons are the only bird in the world that do not have to lift their head to swallow water.
Pigeons can hear wind blowing over mountains from hundreds of miles away.
During First World War a pigeon named Cher Ami saved the lives of many French soldiers by carrying a message across enemy lines.
Despite enemy fire, pigeons achieved a 98% success rate in missions flown in WW II often with mortal injuries to themselves.
Pigeons have monocular vision rather than binocular vision they bob their heads for depth of perception.
Unless separated, pigeons mate for life.
Both pigeon parents feed the young with a special ‘pigeon milk’ that is regurgitated and fed to the squabs.
Pigeons are considered to be one of the most intelligent birds on the planet.
The most widespread misconception about urban pigeons is that they are carriers of disease.
Pigeons flock together in large numbers to protect themselves against, cats, rats and foxes.
Pigeons are arranged into four subfamilies: typical pigeons, which eat predominantly seeds; fruit pigeons, fruit eaters found in tropical Africa and Asia; crowned pigeons, which have a crest of feathers on the head; and a fourth subfamily containing only one species—the Tooth-billed Pigeon, which has a serrated upper bill.
When the pigeon is in long flight, it reaches back and holds on to the short tail feathers with its feet in order to save energy from holding its legs up.
Pigeons are known to survive for almost 10-15 years in their natural habitats. The longest recorded life-span of a pigeon was around 33 years.
A research recently established that trained pigeons were more than twice as reliable as humans and much swift in spotting red and yellow jackets floating on water and thus could be efficient life-savers.
In the mid 1800’s, the Reuters News Agency operated a live telex service using Homing Pigeons.
The ability to hear sounds 11 octaves below middle C allow the pigeons to detect earthquakes and electrical storms.
Most pigeons feed on seeds, grain and fruits. They also eat insects and worms. They are different from other birds in that they have the ability to stick their bills into water and suck it up without raising their heads.
Racing Pigeons routinely maintain flight speeds of 50 to 60 mph.
They have been known to see very well over a 26 mile distance.
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