Rock Dove Columba livia. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds. Talk with our experts about OvoControl for your pigeon control problems. Thank you for contacting us about OvoControl. We will respond to your message within one business day. What We Do. Case Studies. Technical White Papers. Calculate Cost. Get Rid of Pigeons.
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Pigeon Facts and Figures. Other Pest Birds. Where to Use. Manufacturing Plants. Food Processing Facilities. Health Care Facilities. University Campus. Power Plants. Rail Facilities. Although images of the pigeon have been found dating as far back as BC, it is not clear what role the pigeon played in these ancient civilisations and to what extent the bird was domesticated.
Later, in BC, King Rameses III sacrificed 57, pigeons to the god Ammon at Thebes, confirming that the pigeon was well on the way to being domesticated not only for food but also for religious purposes. Mention of pigeon sacrifices can also be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The earliest reference to the pigeon being used to carry messages dates back to BC and the tradition has continued throughout history.
The Romans and ancient Greeks used the pigeon extensively for carrying messages and the first sophisticated messaging service was established in Syria and Persia in the 12th century AD, with messages being carried by pigeons from city to city.
Carrier Pigeons - WW1. Dedicated pigeon houses, or dovecotes , were believed to have existed in very early times in southern Palestine and later in Egypt in 44 BC. Ancient Egyptian pigeon house 44 AD. The dovecote has played an essential role in the domestication of the pigeon throughout history, with facilities ranging from extremely crude early examples in the form of basic clay pots through to highly ornate detached buildings housing many thousands of birds in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Dovecote, Dieppe, France. The pigeon was domesticated not only for its ability to return home and as a source of food and by-products, but also for the purposes of sport. Man has found many sporting uses for the pigeon throughout history, with the earliest known example being the sport of Triganieri. It is unclear when this ancient sport first started, but the early Greeks and Romans are believed to have participated in it.
The sport involves each participant using captive pigeons, released from several pigeon lofts or dovecotes at the same time, and to lure as many birds as possible away from adjoining lofts using specially trained pigeons.
The captured birds were either killed or held for ransom. This sport has continued through the centuries and is still played today. In the Turkish city of Urfa the sport involves over flocks in a single event. Pigeon Cage Trap. Organised pigeon shoots started in the 18th century where huge numbers of domesticated birds were released and shot at point-blank range.
Incredibly, the sport continues today in the USA where huge numbers of feral pigeons are cage-trapped by unscrupulous pest controllers and netted by illegal gangs and then sold to shooting clubs. The birds are then released in front of shooters, many with semi-automatic weapons, and shot at point-blank range.
Pigeon Transporter. Since its domestication many thousands of years ago, the pigeon has been revered by many religions, including Hindu, Islam, Christian and Sikh. Although Neolithic man circa BC onwards undoubtedly domesticated the rock dove, there is little indication that the bird was used for anything but food. Ancient Persian Dovecote. Excavations of tombs dating back to BC at Mycenae in southern Greece revealed two ornaments that depict doves. One is of a goddess holding a dove in either hand, and another perched on her head, and the other depicts an altar upon which doves are perched.
Another excavation in Canaan modern day Israel and Lebanon dating back to BC found a terracotta relief depicting a Dove-goddess holding a dove in either hand. Further examples have been excavated from Canaanite temples dating between to BC, one showing a model of a shrine shaped roughly like a dovecote with pigeons sitting within the dovecote holes.
These examples not only confirm the religious significance of the dove in early history but also confirm that the dove was bred in dedicated dovecote facilities for religious worship. Noah and Dove of Peace. Roman Mosaic 3rd Century AD. Prophet Mohammed Depicted with Dove. Pigeons Being Fed at Temple. The first historical mention of the pigeon being used to carry messages was in the city of Sumer in southern Mesopotamia in BC.
The ruler of the city released two doves to carry the news of the relief of the city from its warring neighbours. It is believed that pigeons have been bred in China since BC, and according to author Salvador Bofarull, Indian and Arab merchants used carrier pigeons when visiting China. Several hundred years later, references have been found that confirm pigeons were used to carry messages attached to their legs.
At the first Olympic Games held in BC, every athlete taking part brought a homing pigeon from his village. If he won his event, his would be the bird that carried the news home. In the 5th century BC the first network of pigeon messengers is thought to have been established in Assyria and Persia by Cyrus the Great, and later in 53 BC Hannibal was thought to have used pigeons to carry despatches during the Battle of Modena.
Julius Caesar is also believed to have used pigeons to carry messages during the conquest of Gaul northern Italy, France, Belgium and western Switzerland from 58 to 51 BC. Pigeon Post Woodcarving In the early s pigeons were used for the first time as commercial messengers by the Rothschild family to communicate between their financial houses.
A series of pigeon lofts were set up across Europe where carrier pigeons were housed and then dispatched with important financial information. This method of communication was far more efficient and considerably faster than any other form available at the time, and it allowed the Rothschild family to play the markets ahead of the competition and amass a fortune as a result. Later, in , pigeons were used to great effect as commercial messengers by the world famous Reuters News Agency.
The service was started in in Germany and pigeons flew between Aachen and Brussels in Belgium, carrying the latest news and prices of stocks and shares. A telegraph service had already been established between the two countries by , but it was so unreliable, and there were so many gaps in the communication lines, that pigeons were used for their speed and reliability.
Pigeons were able to travel the 76 miles between Aachen and Brussels in 2 hours, whereas the railway took over 6 hours to do the same journey. During the siege of Paris by the Prussians in , carrier pigeons were taken out of the city, along with refugees, by balloon. During the siege a total of 65 balloons escaped Paris, many carrying pigeons. The pigeons were then taken to pigeon lofts set up well outside the battle zone from where they could be sent to cities throughout France. Communication between the besieged city and the outside world then became possible as a result of this unique system of carrying messages.
Post Office Notice Paris Pigeon Poster, Paris The Prussians became aware of the carrier pigeons and employed hawks in an attempt to catch them, but many of the birds got through and delivered their messages.
Medals commemorating the arrival of the pigeon post in Paris The first airmail service using pigeons was established in in New Zealand and was known as the Pigeon-Gram Service. In the First World War, pigeons were used extensively for carrying messages.
During the Battle of Ypres in , pigeons were used to carry messages from the front line back to Brigade HQ, and although German marksmen were deployed to shoot the birds down, many survived and delivered their messages.
Pigeons were also carried in tanks during battles and released through tiny portholes in the side. Mine-sweeping boats also carried pigeons so that in the event of an attack by a U-boat, a pigeon could be released with a message confirming the exact location of the sinking boat, often resulting in the crew being saved.
Even seaplanes carried pigeons to relay urgent information about enemy movements. In the Second World War, pigeons were used less due to advances in telecommunication systems and radar, but they were still used in active service in Europe, India and Burma. Orissa Police Pigeon Handlers.
Later, in 53 BC, Hannibal was thought to have used pigeons to carry despatches during the Battle of Modena, and Julius Caesar is also believed to have used pigeons to carry messages during the conquest of Gaul northern Italy, France, Belgium and western Switzerland from 58 to 51 BC.
Pigeons also played an important role during the siege of Paris in , where birds were smuggled out of the city in balloons and then used to carry messages to cities throughout France. It is, however their feats of bravery and the thousands of human lives that they saved in the two Great Wars that is more often remembered. Pigeon Wagon World War I.
As pigeons can fly at incredible speeds, over kilometres per hour, this method of communication was faster and more reliable than the very basic telegraph systems in service during the First Great War. Both the Belgium and French armed services used pigeons extensively during the First Great War, with an estimated 21, pigeons losing their lives in active service. French Pigeon Corps, WW1. Many pigeons in both Great Wars were awarded for their bravery and their heroism. Red Cock was released from a torpedoed trawler and returned to his loft with a message carrying the grid reference of the sinking boat.
As a result, the crew were saved, although the captain, who released the pigeon, was mortally wounded. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The Dickin medal is awarded to any animal that has distinguished itself through an act of bravery in wartime, and of all the animals that have been recognised for this award, the pigeon has been recognised more times than any. Of the 55 medals awarded to date, pigeons have been recognised 32 times. Cher Ami. Own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us.
The bird was immediately shot through the breast by enemy fire and fell to the ground, but managed to get back into the air. Cher Ami then flew the 25 miles back to his loft at Division Headquarters through a constant barrage of enemy fire and made the journey in 25 minutes. As a result, men from the 77th Infantry Division were saved. Cher Ami had delivered the message despite having been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, covered in blood, and with a leg hanging by only a tendon.
He became a hero of the 77th Division and medics managed to save his life and replace his leg with a wooden one. The American and Australian Services also used pigeons extensively and had their own pigeon units operating in many different countries.
Allied bomber crews usually carried a pair of pigeons so that in the event that the plane was shot down, the birds could be released with details of the crash site. Pigeon Message Capsule, World War 2. Pigeon Carrying Vest, World War 2. Paratrooper with Pigeon in Harness, World War 2.
In over crates of pigeons were dropped into Enemy-occupied areas of Europe, each bird being packed into a single box with enough food for 10 days. Instructions and a questionnaire were also included in the box. An estimated 16, pigeons were parachuted into occupied Europe during the Second Great War but only 1, returned. Message Enclosed in Pigeon Carrier. However, important information was received via the birds, particularly information relating to exact positions of the V1 flying bomb site in Peenemunde in Germany.
Pigeons were also used extensively for aerial photography. Pigeon with Message Capsule and Harness. The following quote, from Major General Fowler, Chief of the Department of Signals and Communications for the British Army, sums up just what a vitally important role the pigeon played in wartime:.
World War 2, Pigeon with Camera. In an impressive memorial to commemorate all the animals and birds killed during wartime was erected in Hyde Park. Pigeons have been given pride of place on the wall of the sculpture where they are carved in relief, with two pack mules in the foreground weighed down with munitions and cannon parts.
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