Now, I live at a place that has a tiny pigeon colony right outside my window. Every morning, a cute pigeon couple flies up to my window sill to watch me for a bit. Sometimes they're not there, presumably hanging out with other pigeons.
Their instinct's to fly away from me if I get close or adjust in my seat, but when we're all just chilling, their feathers floof up into a ball of what looks like comfortable warmth. They slowly blink their eyes like cats and their preening care for each other is always cute.
They are not graceful.
It was the same with crows and sparrows too. Now, you're a lot less likely to see cool birds in urban areas.
Interesting, I wonder if these explains why I do not see pigeons around the small city (~100,000) I live in. 40 years ago, you saw them everywhere, but in the mid to late 90s, hawks started showing up in the city.
Now, you hardly seen any pigeons.
In the Middle East, pigeons were raised as a food source. There are structures that allow flocks to nest, and from time to time, people would cook some for food.
I have seen a video of someone doing so in London with one of the many free roaming pigeons.
There may be other relationships pigeons have with humans.
It’s still possible to redomesticate pigeons. There are some obstacles. If they are going to be harvested for food, then people need some way to make sure they are disease free, and on-site butchering is legal.
anonzzzies•1h ago