Pigeons are smart! Being one of the most intelligent birds, pigeons can recognize themselves among photos of different pigeons, remember faces and learn simple math.
Pigeons can detect cancer. Through training, a pigeon can detect whether a growth is benign or cancerous with 85% accuracy while groups of pigeons achieved 99% accuracy in their diagnosis.
Pigeons are clean. Even though some people think of pigeons as dirty they are very clean. The risk of them spreading disease is very low.
Pigeons are very social! Living in flocks of about 20-30 pigeons, they play, snuggle, preen and verbally communicate with each other through cooing.
Pigeons are great messenger carriers. Up until the invention of the telegraph in the mid 1800s, pigeons were the fastest way to send messages. In 776 BC in ancient Greece, carrier pigeons were used to deliver the results of the Olympics to the people. As war veterans, pigeons delivered messages that saved thousands of lives in WWI and II.
Pigeons save lives. Aside from the many lives they helped save in wars by delivering messages, their excellent eyesight and ability to detect ultraviolet light, have been used to locate those lost at sea.
Pigeons are extremely fast! A pigeons’s average speed is 77.6 mph and some have been known to fly up to about 92 miles per hour!
Pigeons are expert navigators. Even though scientists have tried to confuse pigeons by transporting them in a way where the direction and location was completely hidden from them, they were still able to find their way back 1,300 miles away! Their extraordinary internal GPS is still a mystery.
Pigeons mate for life. After going through complex courtship rituals, most pigeons stay together for life.
Pigeons share many of the same qualities as humans. Pigeons have their own unique personalities and been known to express qualities such as affection, loyalty, courage, determination, jealousy, and love.
