Where did pigeons come from? A global history of pigeons
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Time to read 8 min
Table of Contents
Go to any major city anywhere in the world, and you’ll see pigeons. They congregate by the hundreds in historic squares, roost on building ledges and highway overpasses, peck at discarded food, and commandeer abandoned structures.
Pigeons provoke strong emotions. Some people love to hate them: they’re dirty, the accusation goes, and a nuisance, no better than rats with wings. Other people just plain love them. For pigeon fans, the birds’ boldness and adaptability make them emblems of modern urban life.
Whether you love pigeons or hate them, how much do you really know about them? This blog answers your questions about the surprising and fascinating history of pigeons, from the Stone Age to our present day:
- Where did pigeons originate?
- When and why did humans domesticate pigeons?
- How did pigeons spread around the globe?
- How have pigeons shaped human history – and how have humans shaped pigeons?
- Why are pigeons so successful in human-made environments?
- How have views of pigeons changed over time?
Where did pigeons originate?
The common pigeons we know and love (or hate) trace their lineage to wild Rock Pigeons (also often called Rock Doves) living on seacoasts and cliffsides in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Wild Rock Pigeons can still be found in their original range, where they sometimes interbreed with their urban cousins.
City pigeons themselves are the feral descendants of domesticated pigeons. They are not native to North America; they were introduced by humans. Feral pigeons may look like wild Rock Pigeons, but their range, behavior and genetics have been shaped by their long association with human beings. Still, city pigeons are the same species as wild Rock Pigeons: Columba livia.
When and why did humans domesticate pigeons?
Pigeon bones found in cave shelters suggest that pigeons and humans have lived in proximity for tens of thousands of years, since the Stone Age. It’s likely that both pigeons and humans benefited from their association; pigeons scavenged the humans’ food, while humans hunted or trapped the pigeons. But opportunistic coexistence between humans and another species is not the same as domestication. To show that an animal has been domesticated, archaeologists look for evidence that humans systematically raised and harvested it.
The archaeological evidence suggests this happened in the eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age, at least 3,000 years ago. One especially important find is at Hala Sultan Tekke, in Cyprus. Pigeon bones excavated there show signs of a narrower diet than would be expected among wild birds, pointing toward human-managed feeding. Other Bronze Age sites in the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia have uncovered similar evidence of domestication, including human-made nesting towers.
As for the “why” of domestication, the archaeological and written record offers multiple motives:
- Food. Pigeons and their eggs were a tasty and accessible form of protein.
- Fertilizer. With the development of settled agricultural communities, maintaining soil fertility became important. Ancient Egyptians used pigeon guano to enrich their fields, while classical Greek and Roman agricultural texts describe its collection and application in detail.
- Religious rituals. Pigeons served as temple offerings and played a role in funerary rites across many cultures.
Historic pigeon tower in Isfahan, Iran. Dovecotes like this housed large numbers of pigeons and allowed their valuable guano to be collected for fertilizer. Photo by Mhsheikholeslami, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
How did pigeons spread around the globe?
Trade between different regions and cultures encouraged the expansion of pigeon husbandry. When humans moved across and between continents – to conquer and colonize new lands, for example - domestic pigeons moved with them as a form of easily transportable livestock. Eventually, escaped and released domestic birds established feral populations, making pigeons one of the world’s most successful introduced bird species.
A capsule history goes like this:
- First Millennium. Domestic pigeons spread from the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia across much of Europe, Africa and Central and South Asia, coinciding first with the growth of the Roman Empire, and later with the rise of Islam. During this same period, trade links along the Silk Road bring domesticated Rock Pigeons to China. In contrast to Europe, domestic pigeons in China are used by elites for entertainment and display, rather than food or fertilizer. Pigeon racing becomes a noble pastime.
- Medieval Era. By the medieval era, pigeon keeping is widespread throughout Europe, including areas well beyond the range of wild Rock Pigeons. Domestic pigeons spread from China to Korea and Japan.
- 1600s. French and English colonists bring domestic pigeons to the Americas as livestock, first to what is now Nova Scotia, and later to the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies.
- 1800s. Pigeons reach Australia, brought by English colonists. Feral populations expand in cities around the world.
Today, feral pigeons can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
A pigeon depicted in a 19th-century Mughal miniature. Salar Jung Museum. Photo by Sailko, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Pigeons Around a Dovecote, Ustad Mansur, Mughal India, early 17th century. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Via Wikimedia Commons.
How have pigeons shaped human history?
Over millennia, pigeons have facilitated trade and commerce, helped rulers manage far-flung empires, and played an important role in military conflicts.
- Trade and commerce. When ancient Egyptian mariners neared port, they released pigeons to announce their arrival to those awaiting their merchandise. Three millennia later, Paul Julius Reuter – founder of the Reuters news agency – would use pigeons to fill a gap in telegraph messaging between the financial centers of Brussels, Paris and Berlin.
- Politics and governance. From Egypt to Mesopotamia to Persia to Rome, sprawling empires created communication challenges. In ancient Mesopotamia, every messenger in service to King Sargon carried an emergency pigeon to be released if they were waylaid. In Persia, Cyrus the Great implemented an empire-wide communication network based on pigeons. A few centuries later, Julius Caesar used pigeons to link Rome and Gaul.
- Military conflict. Pigeons have been used for military messaging since ancient Egypt. They have provided intelligence, relayed directives and announced the outcomes of battles. It was a carrier pigeon that brought Britons word of the Duke of Wellington’s victory over Napoleon at Waterloo. When Paris was besieged during the Franco-Prussian War, pigeons carried messages to and from the city. Pigeons were used extensively in both world wars, flying across enemy lines and even jumping with paratroopers in specially designed vests, manufactured by the Maidenform bra company.
Perhaps the most-honored pigeon in human history was Cher Ami, credited with saving the lives of 194 U.S. soldiers in the World War I Battle of Argonne. He was decorated with the French Croix de Guerre, and his taxidermized remains are on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Cher Ami, the celebrated World War I carrier pigeon, photographed in 1919. U.S. Signal Corps. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
How have humans shaped pigeons?
The connection between pigeon history and human history goes both ways. As evidence, consider a random flock of city pigeons. Many will still look like their wild ancestors, in shades of gray with broad dark bars across their wings. Others may be uniformly dark, or speckled tan, or pure white. These varied plumages, not found in wild Rock Pigeons, are the result of selective breeding over centuries. At the extreme are hundreds of breeds of “fancy pigeons,” some featuring fan tails and feathery ruffs, prized by collectors for their extravagant shapes and plumages.
Selective breeding has also changed pigeons’ behavior and physical abilities. The use of pigeons to transport messages builds on their natural homing instinct, but it also required selective breeding for trainability, speed and strength.
Domestic pigeon breeds, illustrated by Karl Wagner, c. 1909. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Why are pigeons so successful in human-made environments?
Moving from rocky cliffs, pigeons’ natural habitat, to human-built structures isn’t such an unusual transition. Other birds have also made it – witness some raptors’ affinity for skyscrapers. But the remarkable success of pigeons as urban birds also draws on other characteristics, such as omnivorous feeding habits and communal roosting. Having lived in proximity to humans for thousands of years, pigeons have little natural fear of people.
Cities that have tried to eradicate their pigeon populations have discovered just how well-adapted the birds are. A few cities, including Venice, Barcelona and Singapore, have managed to reduce their populations through strict feeding bans and better food waste disposal, but no city has eliminated them entirely.
How have views of pigeons changed over time?
The idea of pigeons as a public nuisance would astonish a time traveler from antiquity, or even the turn of the last century. For most of human history, pigeons have been valued, venerated and admired. Not until the middle of the 20 th century did public opinion turn against them. The memorable phrase “rats with wings” was first used in 1966, by New York City’s parks commissioner at the time.
In this century, attitudes have begun to shift back toward (qualified) admiration. Pigeons are becoming urban icons, chronicled in books and featured on t-shirts, pins and tote bags. If you’re looking to show your own appreciation of pigeons, check out our Pigeon Collection.
FAQs
Where do pigeons come from?
The common city pigeon is the feral descendent of domesticated wild Rock Pigeons. Today, wild Rock Pigeons can be found in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In the 1600, French and English colonists brought domestic pigeons to the Americas as livestock.
What’s the difference between a pigeon and a dove?
In taxonomic terms, there is none. English speakers tend to call large, chunky members of the family Columbidae “pigeons,” and smaller, slimmer ones, “doves.” You can learn more about the difference between pigeons and doves native to North America on our blog.
How many kinds of pigeons are there?
The Rock Pigeon is one of over 300 species in the family Columbidae, ranging from sparrow-sized ground-doves to the crowned pigeons of New Guinea, which can reach the size of small turkeys. Fun fact: the extinct dodo was a giant, flightless pigeon.
Do pigeons spread disease?
Yes and no. Pigeons host a variety of pathogens that can infect humans, but transmission is exceedingly rare. It typically involves extensive exposure, such as cleaning large quantities of droppings without protective equipment. Pigeons are not a significant vector for bird flu. That said, handling dead or sick birds without protection is never a good idea.
How can I tell a wild Rock Pigeon from a feral pigeon?
The spread of feral pigeons and wild-feral interbreeding make identification tricky. For North American birders, though, it’s a moot question. Wild Rock Pigeons are nonmigratory and highly unlikely to cross the Atlantic. And, from a scientific point of view, feral pigeons are the same species as Wild Rock Pigeons—both are Columba livia.
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