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Pigeons very in size from 7 ounces to well over 3 pounds. The wing
span can be as short as 12 inches and as long as three and a half
feet.
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All
domestic pigeons have a common ancestor, the rock dove pigeon.
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Racing Homers have been clocked at over 55 mph!
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Pigeons commonly live to be 15 years old. The record is 33 years.
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Pigeons can begin breeding at 6 months age.
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The
World famous Disney World of Orlando maintained a loft of pigeons
till 2005. They released hundreds of pigeons in the park daily.
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Worldwide Legion of Pigeon Fanciers has many famous people among it
members. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw; boxing champions Marvin Hagler
and Mike Tyson; actors Yul Brynner, Andy Devine, Scott Baio, and Roy
Rogers; country music star Ray Price; and former chancellor of West
Germany Willi Brandt, have in the past or are still breeding
pigeons.
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Homing pigeons race 80 to 600 miles in one day and can fly at speeds
of up to 60 miles per hour.
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The
ancient Greeks used homing pigeons more than 5,000 years ago.
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Homing pigeons were used in both world wars and saved thousands of
lives while in military service.
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Pigeons are pedigreed and cared for just like thoroughbreds.
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British royal family has had a loft of racing pigeons at Sandringham
Palace. At one time, the royal pigeons had a better record of wins
than the royal racehorses.
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One
of America's favorite comic strip characters is pigeon fancier, Andy
Capp.
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Julius Caesar, Genghis Kahn, Hannibal, and many other famous
military leaders used pigeons as the fastest means of long distance
communications, until the invention of the telegraph. And pigeons
were still one of the safest ways to send secret messages through
the end of the Vietnam War.
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Noah's "Dove" was a homing pigeon.
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An
American army homing pigeon "G. I. Joe" carried a message that saved
British army battalion from annihilation in Italy, during Word War
II.
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A
team of navy researchers found that trained pigeons are more that
twice as reliable as humans and many times quicker at spotting red
or yellow jackets in the water. The system, named Project Sea Hunt,
has been proposed for use at a number of coast guard air stations,
as soon as sufficient pigeons have been trained.
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Ordinary looking pigeon recently sold for a record breaking
$132,517.00! The three-year-old, one pound racing pigeon is so
valuable because it beat out 21,000 birds in a major long distance
race and will some day be used as a breeder just like a racehorse.
The racing pigeon was bought by Louella Pigeon World, a British
company that raises racing pigeons. The previous record price for a
racing pigeon was $73,800.00 |
