Pigeons (Columbidae) are 308 bird species of the order Columbiformes. They are distributed throughout the world, and the greatest diversity among species exists in the area of Indonesia and Australia. A simple name "pigeon" usually refers to the dove because it very often inhabits urban areas. It is believed that pigeons are domesticated more than 3000 years BC. Most likely Egyptians and Sumerians tamed them. These nations feared the pigeons as a sacred bird and messengers of the gods. During excavations of pharaoh tombs, mummified pigeons were found and they should serve as messengers when Pharaoh is traveling to the sky. Growing of domestic pigeons spread from ancient Egypt to other civilizations. It is known that the ancient Greeks and Romans started early to breed pigeons. At that time, they slowly began to form different breeds of pigeons. In …show more content…
Some species even have the stunted rest of the appendix, while with the majority of species it completely disappeared. Life expectancy varies from 3 to 5 years up to 15 years, depends on several factors including human interference and natural enemies. Falcon is the biggest natural enemy of the pigeons because it fly above them and attack them from the heights. Also, the falcon is the fastest bird in the world when diving and has the speed of 200 mph, which is almost 130 mph faster than a pigeon. Characteristics and attributes • Pigeons can recognize all 26 letters of alphabet because they are very intelligent birds • Pigeons can see in color, but they also can see ultraviolet light, unlike humans, they possess an astonishing vision • Pigeons can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field and low frequency of seismic waves, that’s why they always find a way home • Pigeons can fly up to 700 miles in a day with the speed up to 77.6 mph and an average altitude of 6000