14 April: Pigeons

The Pigeon is the creature celebrated in the French Revolutionary calendar on this date. Another sometimes maligned creature, here are 10 things you didn't know about pigeons:

1. Both pigeons and doves belong to the family Columbidae, which includes about 310 species. In fact, the extinct dodo belonged to this family, too, so a dodo was a type of pigeon. The pigeons common in cities such as London are feral pigeons. They are a subspecies of the domestic pigeon or rock dove.
2. The largest pigeon species is the crowned pigeon of New Guinea, which is almost as big as a Turkey and weighs 2–4 kg (4.4–8.8 lb). The smallest is the New World ground-dove, which is the same size as a house Sparrow and weighs as little as 22 g.
3. Racing pigeons are a specific breed bred for the sport, the Racing Homer. They can fly as far as 1,800 km (1,100 miles) and can also be worth a lot of Money. One sold for stud fetched $132,517.00.
4. Pigeon is a French word that derives from the Latin pipio, for a "peeping" chick. Dove is a German word which refers to its diving flight.
5. People often ask why you never see baby pigeons. This is because baby pigeons remain in the nest for up to two months, so by the time they leave it, they are juvenile birds, and it takes an experienced eye to distinguish them from full adults.
6. The Rothschild family has pigeons to thank for their fortune. In the early 1800s the Rothschild family set up a network of pigeon lofts throughout Europe and used homing pigeons to carry information between its financial houses. This was quicker and more efficient than any other means of communication available at the time. The speed of the service and the ability to send and receive information ahead of the competition helped the Rothschild family make a lot of money.
7. Pigeon guano used to be so valuable as a fertilizer and as a source of saltpetre, an ingredient of gunpowder, that armed guards were stationed at the entrances to dovecotes (pigeon houses) to stop people from stealing it.
8. Pigeons are famous for their homing instinct. Scientists aren't sure exactly how this works. One study observed that the birds used roads and motorways to navigate and would actually use junctions as markers telling them when to change direction. However, one assumes pigeons were finding their way home long before there were motorways so there must be more to it than that. It's thought they also use the Earth's magnetic field and the Sun as well as visual landmarks. Man has exploited the pigeons' talent and used them to deliver messages since ancient times. The Romans used pigeons to announce the start of sporting events like the Olympic Games, which is the origin of doves being released during the opening ceremonies. In England, pigeons were often taken to Football matches and released to carry home the result of the game. As recently as 1977, pigeons were used in Plymouth to deliver medical samples and medication between two hospitals.
9. They've also been used by the military to deliver messages and plans in wartime, including both world wars. There are even pigeons which have been awarded medals for their contribution. Cher Ami, a homing pigeon in World War I, was awarded the Croix de Guerre Medal with a palm Oak Leaf Cluster for her service in Verdun and for delivering the message that saved the Lost Battalion of the 77th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Argonne, October 1918. Others include birds called Commando, G.I. Joe, Paddy, and William of Orange. Some of these birds, including Cher Ami, were stuffed when they died and are on display in museums.
10. Pigeons are highly intelligent. They are one of only six species of animal, and the only non-mammal, which is able to recognise its own reflection in a mirror. Pigeons have been taught to recognise all 26 letters of the alphabet and to distinguish between two photographs and recognise individual human beings. Their intelligence, plus the fact they see colour as well as people do, and can also see ultra-violet, has made them very effective at spotting survivors during sea rescue situations, as navy researchers have found.