Why pigeons don't sit on trees: possible reasons and interesting facts. Why do we never see baby pigeons? Looking at the sun and not going blind: sense organs

Why don't pigeons sit on trees? On poles, eaves and roofs of buildings, on the ground, curbs and even on a person - as much as you like, please. So why do these city birds ignore tree branches, what are the reasons for this behavior?

It all depends on the place of residence and the species. The natural habitat of rock pigeons, the wild ancestors of our city pigeons, is the rocky mountains. They are at home on cliffs, and concrete buildings and bridges are suitable alternatives for them. There are others that have a home in trees: wood pigeons in Europe, green pigeons in Africa, many types of pigeons in the tropics, and so on.

Worth considering:

  • Why do pigeons prefer to nest in buildings instead of trees?
  • Why do pigeons never perch on trees and always on man-made structures?
  • If pigeons are so common in cities, why do we never see dead pigeons?

The fact is that pigeons can sit in trees, but the problem is that there are more buildings in the city than trees. Additionally, buildings provide a safer nesting site, while trees are often susceptible to rain and wind. Why pigeons do not perch on trees can be considered a simple adaptation to change, although it may be a reason for evolution.

In the wild, pigeons make nests on high rocky cliffs. Tall buildings remind pigeons of natural nesting sites. It is quite interesting to observe that pigeons never make nests in trees, since we know that birds build their homes or nests in trees. But there seem to be quite a few possible reasons for this.

Causes

Possible reasons why pigeons do not sit in trees are the following:

  • In ancient times, people used pigeons to send messages through letters. The message was tied to their paws or back and they simply flew back to their home. Considering the fact that they have a large number of natural enemies, pigeons in urban areas prefer to make their nests or homes inside buildings rather than in trees to protect themselves.
  • The pigeons we see in cities are actually rock pigeons. Therefore, buildings, cornices, and bridges are closer to them as a home. Cities with their opportunities fast food provide food for pigeons, unlike most rocky areas. Modern pigeons in cities are not as afraid of people as real wild ones, and they have adapted to city life.
  • There is a small possibility that they may have evolved to lose muscle strength in their legs and thus are unable to grasp branches.

There are many interesting facts about the humble pigeon, those feathered inhabitants with whom we share our cities, suburbs, and if they are lucky, bread crumbs.

  1. These are the first birds domesticated by humans. Humanity's relationship with pigeons dates back to the dawn of civilization and likely even earlier. Domesticated pigeons, also known as rock pigeons, were first depicted in pictographic writing on clay tablets during the Mesopotamian period, dating back over 5,000 years.
  2. They do somersaults in the air, but no one knows why. Many birds are known to perform impressive aerial acrobatics in pursuit of prey or to avoid being eaten themselves, but few of these movements are more impressive than pigeons doing somersaults. No one knows for sure why some types of pigeons roll backwards in flight, although some suspect it is just for fun.
  3. They have learned to ride the subway and are exemplary passengers. Train drivers say they have seen pigeons regularly riding the subway since the early 1990s and that they are, in fact, model commuters.

  4. They recognize people who treat them well. Pigeons remember faces they encounter. In one study of birds in central Paris, two researchers offered food to the birds or chased them away, respectively. When this was repeated over several visits, the pigeons began to avoid the pursuer when they were drawn to the feeder, even if they were wearing different clothes.
  5. They see the world in a kaleidoscope of colors. Pigeons are known to have extraordinary vision and are able to distinguish between almost identical shades of color. Humans, for example, have a triple color perception system, while pigeon photo sensors and light filters can distinguish up to five spectral bands, making the world a virtual kaleidoscope of colors for them.
  6. They the only birds which can absorb water.

  7. One of them saved almost 200 American soldiers. In 1918, during the final weeks of World War I, a group of 194 American soldiers were captured behind enemy lines and were fired upon by both advancing German troops and their allies, who mistook them for enemy forces. Their only hope of receiving news of their predicament was the few carrier pigeons they had brought with them. When the first two birds were shot down, one pigeon named Cher Ami was the last hope for salvation. Although the brave bird was shot at several times after leaving the bunker, it survived and delivered a life-saving note. For its valor, the pigeon was awarded the title of Croix de Guerra, an honor bestowed upon foreign troops by the French Army.
  8. They can fly at speeds of up to 160 km per hour. Some pigeons can fly incredibly fast and over long distances.
  9. They were the first pioneers in aerial photography. Soon after pigeons left the news business, they entered the world of photography. In 1907, German pharmacist Julius Neubronner developed special cameras mounted on birds. Previously, such images could only be captured using balloons or kites.

  10. They are monogamous and seem to really love each other.
  11. They are also good parents. Both male and female pigeons participate equally in nesting, sharing responsibility for incubating their eggs to give others a chance to eat and rest. Do pigeons sit in trees? Instead of nesting in trees, pigeons prefer to raise their families in the safety of rocky cliffs. In urban environments, they prefer to hide in buildings.
  12. The little chicks are incredibly cute, but are rarely seen as their caring parents only allow them to leave once they are almost fully grown.

  13. Nikola Tesla loved pigeons and he was a genius. In addition to his research into electricity, the famously eccentric inventor had a strong obsession with pigeons. He was known to go to the park daily to feed them and even take them home when he found them injured. And one White bird, in particular, won Tesla's love more than the others, and remained with him as a friend and pet until her death.
  14. Picasso also admired pigeons and even named his daughter Paloma, which means "dove" in Spanish. As a regular on the street scene, artist Pablo Picasso clearly took great inspiration from the feathered creatures at his feet. Pigeons are a frequent subject in his works.

  15. The lovable but extinct Dodo looked like a big, plump pigeon. DNA researchers say the pigeon is the closest living relative of the now extinct flightless bird, the Dodo.
  16. They are almost everywhere there are people. Today, some 260 million pigeons live in virtually every city in the world, living and interacting with people perhaps more than any other animal on the planet.

Here interesting topic which few people think about. It may seem to city dwellers that the number of pigeons is increasing in some magical way - all the birds we see on the street are already adults, but nowhere and never do we see chicks.

So where are they and do they even exist?

Rest assured - chicks exist, and there is a good explanation for the fact that we do not see them.

Reason #1. We don't see pigeon nests

Many city birds nest quite openly, and even without noticing the chicks, we learn about their appearance by observing the behavior of the birds at the nests. The buildings of crows and blackbirds are clearly visible on the branches of trees, starlings fly with food into the nest boxes we have hung, sparrows hide in cracks on the walls of houses or under roofs, from where tufts of straw and tow they brought stick out. Caesars nest mainly in the attics of multi-storey buildings, flying there through cracks and dormer windows. Therefore, it is impossible to judge the presence of pigeon nests and their contents from the street. Only occasionally can you see a sisar returning to a nest under construction with a dry twig in its beak. The rock pigeon's nest, like most of its relatives around the world, is a small platform built from dry twigs, and its construction does not require much effort.



Rock pigeon nest with newly hatched chicks.

Wild rock pigeons inhabit places that are practically inaccessible to people - cornices and niches on high cliffs, steep cliffs or on the walls of bottomless caves. Pigeon nests built in city attics are easier to inspect, but city dwellers rarely do this, even if they manage to get under the roof of their house. Where pigeons breed for many years in a row, the entire space occupied by them is filled with droppings, covered with nesting material, mixed with dead eggs and dried corpses of chicks. In such conditions, in the twilight of the attic it is not easy to spot a residential nest, even if there are large chicks in it. A casual visitor would rather rush to leave an attic inhabited by pigeons than wait for the adult birds to return to their offspring.



Grown up chicks in the nest.

The first two weeks after hatching, the chicks feed mainly on secretions from the walls of the parents’ crop (a sac-like expansion of the esophagus) - a kind of “bird’s milk” that has the consistency of thick sour cream and contains all the organic and mineral substances necessary for the development of the chicks. Later, the chicks gradually switch to grain and other roughage, which their parents also bring to them in the crop. It is impossible to determine by the appearance of a flying pigeon whether it is carrying food to the chicks. This is why it is so difficult to notice the beginning of the period when pigeons have offspring.

Reason #2. We do not distinguish young pigeons from adults

What do young birds that leave their nests usually look like? Urban songbirds - crows, blackbirds and sparrows - have the so-called nestling type of development, that is, their chicks are born completely helpless and sit in the nest almost until they reach adulthood, leaving it shortly before taking wing. Young birds capable of flying may differ little in size from their parents, but they immediately identify themselves with short, not yet fully grown tails, bright (yellow or red) corners of the mouth, as well as characteristic behavior: fledglings (chicks that have just begun to leave the nest) flutter finely wings and open their beaks, begging for food from their parents. In brood birds (for example, the urban mallard), in which the chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, they differ sharply from their parents in their appearance: the chicks are covered with down, not feathers, noticeably smaller than adults and differently colored.



A grown chick before its down finally gives way to feathers; soon he will be able to fly. Pay attention to the color of the iris: it is brown, while in adult birds it is red or orange.

Pigeons are also nestlings, and all their development occurs in the nest. When young pigeons leave the nest at about a month old, their feather cover is almost completely formed and they are very similar to adults (more than songbirds). Young pigeons are able to fly independently and search for food, although inexperience often leads to their death - for example, under the wheels of cars. Until they achieve full independence, they find food in the crops of their parents, so the base of their beak remains unfeathered for a long time, otherwise their feathers could easily get dirty or quickly wear out when teenage pigeons insert their beak into the beak of their mother or father. The beaks of young pigeons, bare at the base, seem longer to us than the beaks of adults.



Adult pigeon chicks. The fact that these are young birds is indicated by the remains of yellow fluff in their plumage.

In most birds, the plumage of young birds looks duller and less elegant than the plumage of their parents. This is also true for pigeons: on the neck and chest of young birds there is no metallic sheen, characteristic of wild sizars and many of their domesticated descendants. The absence of such shine does not make them less noticeable to predators, but, apparently, determines the nature of the relationships between pigeons and their relatives, which immediately identify dull colored birds as young individuals. A person can only notice the differences between young and adult sisars at close range.



On the left is an adult pigeon, on the right is a young one. Please note that the young bird does not have a metallic sheen in the plumage of the neck and chest, and the iris of the eye is brown, not orange. Despite these differences, it is not so easy to spot such a pigeon in a flock of adults.

Young birds are often betrayed by their parents' attitude towards them. Next to the chicks of Hoodie Crows or Field Thrushes - one of the most visible urban birds - their parents are invariably present. They bring them food (in their beaks, like blackbirds, or in a special sac under their beaks, like crows), scream excitedly when a person or dog approaches the chicks, and often try to ward off a potential predator. Such manifestations of anxiety are not typical for pigeons. According to the literature, sisari continue to feed the young after their departure, but they do this for a short time - no more than a week. The chicks of pigeons nesting on Moscow roofs apparently fly to the ground completely independently - in any case, I have never been able to observe a young pigeon begging for food from an adult. In this, rock pigeons resemble swifts, whose parents stop feeding their chicks even before they fly out of the nest.

Reason #3. We rarely see young pigeons

No matter how similar young pigeons are to adult birds, we would inevitably pay attention to them if they appeared immediately in large numbers, like the fledglings of many of our songbirds that fill city squares in May and June.



A picture that is easy to see in spring in any park: an adult starling feeding fledglings. The starling is a songbird; fledglings are noticeably different in color from the adult bird and also have yellow corners of the mouth and short tails

However, pigeons do not reproduce so synchronously. Many pigeons begin building nests in February and March and manage to make four to five nesting attempts a year, but young pigeons do not fly out from neighboring nests at the same time. Different pairs begin nesting at different times, in many sizar birds the clutches and chicks die (for example, the nests are destroyed by the hooded crow), and adult birds begin nesting again, while in others the chicks successfully fly out. Chicks of late broods leave the nests in November-December. There are known cases of successful breeding of rock pigeons in other winter months.

The rock pigeon's broods are small. The female lays only two eggs. The first chick is born almost a day earlier than the second and receives an advantage in development, so that the younger chicks sometimes die from exhaustion. By the time the chicks fly out of the nest, the female is often already incubating the eggs of the next clutch, and then only the male feeds the grown offspring. Only he accompanies the young if care for them continues after departure.

The extended nesting period of urban sizars, the lack of synchrony in the reproduction of different pairs, the relatively small number of surviving offspring, and the lack of long-term communication between pigeons and their parents contribute to the fact that we rarely notice young pigeons on our streets. However, with enough attention and patience, getting to know young Caesars is not so difficult.

sources

Why don't pigeons sit on trees? On poles, eaves and roofs of buildings, on the ground, curbs and even on a person - as much as you like, please. So why do these city birds ignore tree branches, what are the reasons for this behavior?

It all depends on the place of residence and the species. The natural habitat of rock pigeons, the wild ancestors of our city pigeons, is the rocky mountains. They are at home on cliffs, and concrete buildings and bridges are suitable alternatives for them. There are other types of pigeons that have a home in trees: wood pigeons in Europe, green pigeons in Africa, many types of pigeons in the tropics, and so on.

Worth considering:

  • Why do pigeons prefer to nest in buildings instead of trees?
  • Why do pigeons never perch on trees and always on man-made structures?
  • If pigeons are so common in cities, why do we never see dead pigeons?

The fact is that pigeons can sit in trees, but the problem is that there are more buildings in the city than trees. Additionally, buildings provide a safer nesting site, while trees are often susceptible to rain and wind. Why pigeons do not perch on trees can be considered a simple adaptation to change, although it may be a reason for evolution.

In the wild, pigeons make nests on high rocky cliffs. Tall buildings remind pigeons of natural nesting sites. It is quite interesting to observe that pigeons never make nests in trees, since we know that birds build their homes or nests in trees. But there seem to be quite a few possible reasons for this.

Causes

Possible reasons why pigeons do not sit in trees are the following:

  • In ancient times, people used pigeons to send messages through letters. The message was tied to their paws or back and they simply flew back to their home. Given the fact that they have a large number of natural enemies, pigeons in urban areas prefer to make their nests or homes inside buildings rather than in trees to protect themselves.
  • The pigeons we see in cities are actually rock pigeons. Therefore, buildings, cornices, and bridges are closer to them as a home. Cities with their fast food opportunities provide food for pigeons, unlike most rocky places. Modern pigeons in cities are not as afraid of people as real wild ones, and they have adapted to city life.
  • There is a small possibility that they may have evolved to lose muscle strength in their legs and thus are unable to grasp branches.

There are many interesting facts about the humble pigeon, those feathered inhabitants with whom we share our cities, suburbs, and if they are lucky, bread crumbs.

  1. These are the first birds domesticated by humans. Humanity's relationship with pigeons dates back to the dawn of civilization and likely even earlier. Domesticated pigeons, also known as rock pigeons, were first depicted in pictographic writing on clay tablets during the Mesopotamian period, dating back over 5,000 years.
  2. They do somersaults in the air, but no one knows why. Many birds are known to perform impressive aerial acrobatics in pursuit of prey or to avoid being eaten themselves, but few of these movements are more impressive than pigeons doing somersaults. No one knows for sure why some types of pigeons roll backwards in flight, although some suspect it is just for fun.
  3. They have learned to ride the subway and are exemplary passengers. Train drivers say they have seen pigeons regularly riding the subway since the early 1990s and that they are, in fact, model commuters.

  4. They recognize people who treat them well. Pigeons remember faces they encounter. In one study of birds in central Paris, two researchers offered food to the birds or chased them away, respectively. When this was repeated over several visits, the pigeons began to avoid the pursuer when they were drawn to the feeder, even if they were wearing different clothes.
  5. They see the world in a kaleidoscope of colors. Pigeons are known to have extraordinary vision and are able to distinguish between almost identical shades of color. Humans, for example, have a triple color perception system, while pigeon photo sensors and light filters can distinguish up to five spectral bands, making the world a virtual kaleidoscope of colors for them.
  6. They are the only birds that can suck up water.

  7. One of them saved almost 200 American soldiers. In 1918, during the final weeks of World War I, a group of 194 American soldiers were captured behind enemy lines and were fired upon by both advancing German troops and their allies, who mistook them for enemy forces. Their only hope of receiving news of their predicament was the few carrier pigeons they had brought with them. When the first two birds were shot down, one pigeon named Cher Ami was the last hope for salvation. Although the brave bird was shot at several times after leaving the bunker, it survived and delivered a life-saving note. For its valor, the pigeon was awarded the title of Croix de Guerra, an honor bestowed upon foreign troops by the French Army.
  8. They can fly at speeds of up to 160 km per hour. Some pigeons can fly incredibly fast and over long distances.
  9. They were the first pioneers in aerial photography. Soon after pigeons left the news business, they entered the world of photography. In 1907, German pharmacist Julius Neubronner developed special cameras mounted on birds. Previously, such images could only be captured using balloons or kites.

  10. They are monogamous and seem to really love each other.
  11. They are also good parents. Both male and female pigeons participate equally in nesting, sharing responsibility for incubating their eggs to give others a chance to eat and rest. Do pigeons sit in trees? Instead of nesting in trees, pigeons prefer to raise their families in the safety of rocky cliffs. In urban environments, they prefer to hide in buildings.
  12. The little chicks are incredibly cute, but are rarely seen as their caring parents only allow them to leave once they are almost fully grown.

  13. Nikola Tesla loved pigeons and he was a genius. In addition to his research into electricity, the famously eccentric inventor had a strong obsession with pigeons. He was known to go to the park daily to feed them and even take them home when he found them injured. And one white bird in particular won Tesla's love more than the rest, and remained with him as a friend and pet until her death.
  14. Picasso also admired pigeons and even named his daughter Paloma, which means "dove" in Spanish. As a regular on the street scene, artist Pablo Picasso clearly took great inspiration from the feathered creatures at his feet. Pigeons are a frequent subject in his works.

  15. The lovable but extinct Dodo looked like a big, plump pigeon. DNA researchers say the pigeon is the closest living relative of the now extinct flightless bird, the Dodo.
  16. They are almost everywhere there are people. Today, some 260 million pigeons live in virtually every city in the world, living and interacting with people perhaps more than any other animal on the planet.

Almost any bird of the pigeon family can fly well. Their entire body is designed to make it easier to stay in the air. Small sizes internal organs and the absence of unnecessary weights (such as teeth, bladder) make them light. A pigeon can reach speeds of up to 100 km per hour. The highest flight altitude is from 1 to 3 km. You will learn many other details from this article.

Speed ​​and maneuverability in flight

We talked about the body structure, plumage and colors of birds of this order in the article. Now let's talk about other important points.

There are two types of flight of pigeons - sailing and rowing. They can alternate with each other. Birds use the first by taking off and gaining sufficient height in an area where air currents move continuously. Soaring in a circle, the bird from time to time connects its open wings.

The bird's rowing flight is the main way of gaining height and moving. When the wing rises, the flight feathers rotate so that air passes between them, and when lowered, the wing becomes dense. Due to the wind created, the dove flies.

These birds can also “fly” in place. At the same time, they make fluttering movements with their wings and spread their tail, which prevents them from moving forward. In normal flight, this part of the body is of great importance - it serves as a rudder.

Briefly about the physiology of pigeons

All pigeons have a strong but light skeleton, consisting almost entirely of hollow bones. Its mass is only 9% of the total body weight. Most of the vertebrae are fused, which gives stability to the body in flight. But the tail is very mobile. The muscles are best developed on the chest. They make up up to 25% of the total weight of the bird.

Representatives of this order spend almost their entire lives in flight or on the ground, nesting among stones or in other shelters. That's why pigeons don't sit on trees, or rather, they don't like to do so. As a place of rest and nesting, the earth is more native to them.

The skin of pigeons is completely devoid of sebaceous and sweat glands. But there are complex respiratory organs: air sacs, bronchi and lungs, lower larynx, trachea, upper larynx and nasal cavity.

There are peculiarities in the digestive system of pigeons. Like other birds, they have a crop, a stomach consisting of two sections, but no gall bladder. However, the opinion about the absence of bile is a misconception. It exists, but is directly released into the intestines.

Looking at the sun and not going blind: sense organs

Pigeons are adapted to a diurnal lifestyle. In light, their eyes see very well, and the bird relies heavily on vision.

The iris of the eye, like the diaphragm, controls the amount of light entering. And it’s so good that a dove can sit opposite the sun and look directly at it for many hours. Therefore, if you have this bird at home and it likes to sit on the windowsill on a sunny day, you can be sure that bright light will not harm it. However, with the onset of darkness, the acuity of a pigeon's vision decreases.

Pigeons also have very sensitive, acute hearing. Moreover, their ears, like those of most birds, are devoid of shells and are marked on the outside only by a barely noticeable fold of skin.

Pigeons can distinguish all tastes - sweet, salty, bitter, sour. They smell poorly, but they have a more or less developed sense of touch. Sensitive nerve endings are located on the bird's legs, around the eyes and on the beak.

Nesting and breeding in nature

Pigeons have only one pair for life. In this case, mating of birds is preceded by mating games. Interestingly, males enter into conflicts with each other, but even victory does not guarantee the female’s favor. She makes a choice relying only on her own instinct.

Female pigeons are called doves. Before mating, the couple grooms each other: they pinch feathers, cuddle together, and “kiss” with their beaks. The male displays plumage and strength by fluffing his feathers, opening his wings and dancing. Two weeks after mating, the dove begins laying eggs, which last up to three days. Young birds usually lay two eggs, older birds only one. The eggs weigh about 20 g. Both the female and the male hatch.

Pigeons nest between stones or in caves - where predators cannot reach the masonry. The nest itself is simple, it looks like a bunch of branches and grass. It is used by birds several times.

Pigeon chicks hatch after 16-19 days. They hatch at different times. The male and female take turns feeding them. After a month, the babies are ready to fly. They become sexually mature birds after six months.

Reproduction of birds in a dovecote

Artificial mating of pigeons is used in breeding work. At home, bird breeding begins in March-April. Before this, you need to carry out a general cleaning in the dovecote and put special houses there for ferrying birds. The newlyweds will live there. Straw or hay is placed inside the houses to make them soft.

Before mating, females are allowed to fly longer. Also, a month before the procedure, it is better to separate the boys from the girls in order to stimulate the pigeons’ interest in each other and give them a rest.

Next, you can let the birds choose each other themselves, or you can force them together by putting them in one box. The latter matters when you need to mate strictly defined pigeons. However, fertilization in this case is more difficult to achieve, and males can be aggressive.

Sometimes two females and even males can form a pair. At the same time, they behave exactly the same as ordinary pairs of pigeons of different sexes. Females even lay and incubate eggs, but the chicks, of course, do not hatch from them. Such pigeons make excellent brood hens for other people's eggs if the dove dies or for some reason abandons the clutch.

How long do birds live in nature and in captivity?

How many years pigeons live depends on many factors. These are climate, completeness and variety of diet, free or home maintenance. In the northern regions, birds live much less than their southern relatives. The cold climate, lack of nutrition, and lack of sun have an effect.

In nature, the lifespan of a bird does not exceed 8 years. Predators have an influence here, as many animals prey on pigeons. In addition, in the natural environment it is more difficult to shelter from bad weather and find good food, but it is easier to encounter infections. Even simple proximity to humans prolongs the life of birds. Human habitation has fewer predators; you can always find food and shelter from the cold.

Domestic pigeons live much longer than wild ones - up to 20 years. The work of breeders who breed physically strong, disease-resistant birds also plays a certain role in this. This allows them to exist actively for many years.

Note that how long pigeons live also depends on the breed. Most often, long-livers are found among ornamental birds.

Domestication of wild representatives of the species

Even in ancient times, people began to tame and breed pigeons. Most scientists are inclined to believe that the first bird that was tamed by man was the rock pigeon we are familiar with. It is impossible to establish the date, but according to rough estimates, this happened 5-10 thousand years ago.

According to one version, the pigeon first became a close neighbor of man in the Middle East. Agriculture flourished then, and birds were attracted by the availability of plants and seeds.

According to another assumption, birds settled in ancient temples that people built on the sea coast. Finally, it is assumed that man tamed and began to breed the pigeon at home for meat and eggs.

Today, these birds are less often kept for their meat (there are special breeds for this). For many, breeding beautiful and peaceful pigeons is a pleasant hobby. It allows you to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle, because a flock of pigeons circling in the sky is a very beautiful, peaceful sight.

Pros and cons of birds living next to humans

How closely pigeons coexist with people has positive and negative sides for both.

So, in rural areas It is easier for birds to find food, but sometimes they can harm plantings. Pigeons in the city can serve as decoration and even a kind of attraction. Is it possible to imagine, for example, Trafalgar Square without flocks of pigeons? Or Venice's St. Mark's Square.

However, when there are many birds, they cause serious harm:

  • pollute the surrounding area with droppings and feathers;
  • plants are pecked;
  • They destroy buildings and monuments, trying to use their beaks to pull wind-blown seeds out of small cracks.

Some people try to avoid pigeon habitats for fear of becoming infected. Of course, birds can carry psittacosis, histoplasmosis and other infections, but in an ordinary city the chance of getting infected from birds is small. It is even less than the possibility of catching the disease from other pets.

Variety of breeds - from chickens to peacocks

Today there are almost 800 breeds, not counting wild birds, which include the order Pigeonidae. They are divided into three groups: sports, decorative and meat. In our country, breeders and fanciers keep 200 breeds of pigeons. As a rule, they live in dovecotes, but sometimes they are kept as pets in a cage that is placed on the windowsill.

The largest group is decorative pigeons. These are puffers (they inflate their crop like a ball), chickens (for example, the Modena pigeon), Asian (similar to peacocks), and exhibition tumblers. Russians love colored breeds. These are the Saxon fairy swallow, the Russian Arkhangelsk and starling pigeons, and the Danish subian.

The main characteristic of racing pigeons is the ability to reach high speeds and cover enormous distances. After the first competitions held in Belgium, professionals developed a breed of pigeons called “travelers”, or “Voyageurs”. From them came modern high-speed birds. Some of them can fly at speeds of up to 145 km per hour.

Meat pigeons - king and carnot breeds - are not common in Russia. In other countries they are bred for food. The peculiarity of such birds is their large weight, up to a kilogram.

Continuing the topic, you will learn about the meaning of the image of a dove in the culture of different nations and the unusual abilities of these birds.

If the information in the article was interesting to you, share it with your friends.

Leave a comment so we can know your opinion.

You may also be interested

More and more Moscow residents are noticing the unnatural behavior of city pigeons. The birds look sleepy, some stand with their beaks resting on the asphalt, but most sit with their feathers ruffled, not reacting to the approach of people and cars.

“There is a dove sitting at the entrance door. Close. I approach - he is sitting. I wave my hand - no reaction. I open the door slightly and he’s still sitting there, only he’s moved a centimeter.

I slowly open the door, about 30 centimeters, to go into the entrance - it just moves after the door and that’s it. Doesn't fly, doesn't walk. But at the same time alive,” she wrote in social network Muscovite Olga. Her post quickly racked up over a hundred comments. People agreed that city birds had been acting very strangely for the last week and a half. “Yesterday I drove one out from under the wheels of a neighbor’s car. Half an hour later I saw a pigeon sitting on the asphalt, its beak resting on the ground. Apocalypse for pigeons,” wrote. “They are stupid and do not react to cars and other dangers. Yesterday I was walking my friend’s dog, and we found such a stupid pigeon - it didn’t even twitch. I took the dog away from him and quickly,” she wrote. “There are an unusual number of dead and dying (birds),” agreed.

Many birds have difficulty flying and sometimes even crash into passers-by.

If the pigeons get to balconies and windows, then it is difficult for them to maintain their balance on the railings and frames. “We were sitting in the kitchen, and then our little brother ran screaming, it turned out that a dove had fallen from the window onto the windowsill,” Twitter users wrote on Tuesday. “A pigeon that can’t fly fell onto our balcony,” another user said in a message. “The other day a pigeon flew onto my balcony and hit the glass, not realizing that the street was “behind me.” I went out to rescue him, but he fell to the floor and lay there, staring,” writes .

“I also noticed that something strange has been happening with pigeons for the last week and a half,” Maria Vinokurova, spokeswoman for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), confirmed to Gazeta.Ru. “I saw dead people near the house many times.” The living ones sit and don’t move, even if you pass a few centimeters away.” She explained that the foundation does not deal with urban birds, so they can only confirm the trend.

The townspeople unanimously decided that the birds were either poisoned by something or were dying from the heat. “No, how hot it is now, it’s not hot. Even in 2010, when it was hot, I can’t say that the pigeons had a sweet time, but they didn’t fall on the fly,” Viktor Zubakin, president of the Russian Bird Conservation Union, commented on the situation to Gazeta.Ru. - The behavior of pigeons - drowsiness, lethargy - is more similar to the symptoms of a disease such as psittacosis. This is quite common among them. It is possible that there is now some kind of epizootic (mass disease) among birds.”

Many metropolitan veterinary clinics, as it turns out, do not seek to treat bird diseases. “We do not accept birds, since their diseases are transmitted to people,” one of the veterinary clinics explained to Gazeta.Ru.

“These are sick pigeons,” the Green Parrot bird hospital immediately told Gazeta.Ru. “Pigeons often develop various diseases of viral etiology and bacterial infections. Most often there is trichomoniasis, in second place are ornithosis and whirligig - this is a popular name, caused by salmonellosis, Newcastle disease, - told Gazeta.Ru veterinarian Hospital "Green Parrot" Lyudmila Korobkova. — A pigeon is characterized by a lack of coordination: it cannot fly, it cannot eat, it sits, loses weight and dies. The symptoms of trichomoniasis are lethargy and drowsiness.”

Chicks and young birds are highly susceptible to diseases, says the veterinarian.

“Now there are just a lot of chicks, apparently they are getting sick. In winter, sick birds quickly die, and in summer they walk lethargically through the streets for a long time, but it is difficult for them to look for food and water,” adds Korobkova. From a humanistic point of view, city residents should help sick birds and feed them, the doctor explains. But from a safety point of view, it is better not to touch them - some diseases are transmitted to humans.

The birds will not be able to recover on their own. Muscovites can help sick pigeons and bring them to a veterinary clinic where there is an ornithologist. “But the success of treatment depends on the stage of the disease. If a bird has just gotten sick and is sitting sad, but more or less normal, then it can be cured. And if she has a severe stage, then there is little chance of help,” says Korobkova. According to her, in the severe stage of trichomoniasis, the bird’s larynx and esophagus become overgrown and begin to rot. The food does not pass through, and he has to be fed through a tube. “The whole beak is covered in snot and drool, and if you open the beak, there is a white coating, these are symptoms of trichomoniasis,” says Korobkova. “Sometimes they bring sick pigeons to us, mostly trichomoniasis, and we treat them. If the beak is clean, then we do an analysis and determine the disease.”