I don’t know how many times I read this book in my childhood. It was always with me, and I lived in it in my mind. I learn a lot about pigeons as the messengers of the past. Unbelievably, it was only a few hundred years ago that humans relied on messenger birds to deliver their messages. It seems almost impossible that pigeons were the most used bird for communication in this way; they could be trained to fly hundreds of miles and find their homes!
The stories of homing pigeons are truly remarkable: some have been known to travel up to 600 miles at speeds of 60 mph or faster with accuracy levels as high as 99%, even when released from unfamiliar locations.
The use of carrier pigeons dates back centuries—some say as far back as 1150 BC—and has been documented across many cultures throughout history. From ancient China to World War I, these amazing, feathered messengers have served mankind well. Their success is attributed not just to instinct but also to their acute vision and sense of direction which helps them quickly identify familiar landmarks and terrain. Intelligence: In addition to their impressive speed and agility, doves or pigeons possess remarkable intelligence. Many pigeon pairs will mate for life unless they aren’t able to produce eggs. Then they may separate to find another mate, pairs typically stay together until one of them dies.
Pigeons are incredibly complex and intelligent animals. They are one of only a small number of species to pass the ‘mirror test’ – a test of self-recognition. They can also recognize each letter of the human alphabet, differentiate between photographs, and even distinguish different humans within a photograph. Pigeons have excellent hearing abilities. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans are able to and can thus hear distant storms and volcanoes.
The story in the book is amazing! Is centered on World War I, and it’s in fact a story of love, intelligence, loyalty between pigeons themselves and pigeons towards humans. When I went to USA in 2000, I took my childhood book with me, but lost it after abruptly leaving the country. In Argentina I found not long ago a used copy, not in very good shape but nevertheless, I bought it and keep it close to my heart at 68 years old!
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Vintage Artistry Butter Paper Pack:
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Vintage Artistry Collectors 02 Ephemera:
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Bookish Brushes and Stamps 01:
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TFL!
