by Karen Lawson

Created on: December 20, 2008

Pigeons have historically had a somewhat bi-polar relationship with humanity. This may not make sense until you consider that pigeons are revered and reviled throughout the world. Today's feral pigeon is descended from a bird called the rock dove, or more recently, rock pigeon. These birds nest on cliffs and bear the familiar blue barred plumage of many feral pigoeons: The head and chest are dark slate gray, the undersides, upper wings and back are silvery gray, and each wing has two black bars. Their tales are medium gray with a darker band at the end. One of the most attractive features of feral (and indeed most domesticated pigeons) is the irridescent plumage around their necks. When the sunlight hits these feathers, the birds' necks come alive with shades of green, bronze and pink.

If you've ever fed pigeons, or otherwise observed them closely, you've probably seen that they come in many colors. Although the blue bar model described above is the nominate color scheme, you'll also see pigeons in varying shades of black, red, brown and all kinds of pied, grizzled and other patterns combined with white. More unusual, you may note that certain pigeons have crests, or feathers on their feet. These extra features come directly from doesticated breeds that have gotten lost or were abandoned by human owners, and have "joined the flock." Like domesticated dogs and cats, domestic pigeons come in hundreds of specialized breeds. Darwin's theory of evolution is in part based on the scientist's research with domestic pigeons. If you cross different breeds of domestic pigeons through several generations, they revert back to the wild form,

People have maligned feral pigeons for years; anyone who's suffered their droppings on their clothes, car, or person is certainly entitled to curse the *&^% pigeons. But, why are so many people bent on killing them off entirely? This writer, a former fancier and lifelong friend of pigeons, believes that hate is caused by ignorance. Here are some thing most folks don't know about pigeons: They mate for life. Both males and females incubate the two eggs that are layed in each clutch. The male bird sits on the eggs during daylight, and the female takes over the night shift. When changing shifts, the birds greet each other with cooing and strutting.They may preen one another, and to the human observer, appear to do so with genuine affection. The parent pigeons could be said to have strong "family values";, and will thwart any intruder

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