Pigeons on Pitara Kids Network

Where does the Pigeon Post Operate?

Sun, 17 Nov 2002 19:30:46 +0000

Among birds, pigeons have a natural and unerring instinct of returning to their nests or homes after long flights. In the early days besides domesticating animals like the horse, dog and cow, people also bred pigeons to carry messages back and forth. These pigeons are called homing pigeons.

Racing pigeons have a life span of 15-20 years. A healthy bird can fly stretches upto 1,000 km. Normally the message is tied around the feet of the pigeon in a plastic capsule to protect the paper. Two pigeons are released with the same message, as pigeons are prone to attacks from other birds of prey particularly the hawk.

The Pigeon Party

Sat, 01 Dec 2001 21:49:44 +0000

Twenty noisy
pigeons
Had a party
last night

Noisy Pigeon Party [Illustration by Shinod AP]

The last egg
Had hatched
The youngest one
Was OUT!

The last egg had hatched [Illustration by Shinod AP]

They rocked on
the TV wires
looked the kitten
In the eye

Excerpts from Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

Wed, 14 Feb 2001 16:54:42 +0000

Gay-Neck’s birth happened exactly as I have described. About the twentieth day after the laying of the egg, I noticed that the mother was not sitting on it any more. She pecked the father and drove him away every time he flew down from the roof of the house and volunteered to sit on the egg. Then he cooed, which meant, “Why do you send me away?”

She, the mother, just pecked him the more, meaning, “Please go. The business on hand is very serious”.

Birds!!!

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 22:34:17 +0000

October 6: If feeding pigeons is your hobby, then the place to go is London’s Trafalgar Square. With about 40,000 pigeon tummies to fill, you can be sure that demand will never outstrip supply.

Trafalgar Square’s pigeons are a major tourist attraction. Thousands of pigeons can be found in the square at any given time, which has a fountain and the monument of famous English general Lord Nelson at the centre. Some tourists and residents visit the square only to feed the birds.

Orissa Police's Feathered Force is Dying

Sun, 30 May 1999 14:42:50 +0000

July 1: The news is that a mysterious disease has killed 35 valuable members of the Orissa’s police service. They are all pigeons.

The first of the deaths took place in March in Puri district. Twenty-four more pigeons died soon after, in Cuttack district. They experienced long drowsy spells before dying. The veterinary doctors who examined them said that the mysterious disease could be just the sweltering heat.

Pigeons? In this day and age? Yes, Orissa is the only state in India whose police force still employs pigeons as message carriers. And, for the last 50 years, the messengers have not faltered in their duty even once, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.