More than 'rats with wings'

Kim Kovach

I enjoy walking outdoors in October.

I notice the changing colors of the leaves on the trees, the faint scent of wood smoke in the air, and the abundance of wildlife. I don’t see any pigeons on my walks.

Pigeons get a bad rap. Flocks of pigeons are usually found in city parks and urban areas where people carelessly drop food on the ground. Tourists visiting Trevi Fountain in Rome or sightseeing along the streets of London or practically any open space in Manhattan especially near park benches encounter these feathered denizens.

I saw a black and white photograph of a man sitting on the edge of a fountain surrounded by pigeons. He must have been tossing pieces of bread or crackers or a hot dog bun to have so many pigeons crowding around his feet.

Pigeons and doves belong to the Columbidae bird family. Recognizable as plump birds with small heads in shades of gray, black and white with spots and various markings on their feathers, pigeons feed mostly on seeds, fruit and foliage. Pigeons have been around for thousands of years throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. A few pigeons must have hitched a ride aboard the early ships headed to the New World and decided to stay.

According to my pigeon research, these birds are intelligent survivors that mate for life and can recognize and remember the facial features of humans who feed them or may try to cause them harm. In urban environments, pigeons search for food during the day and find safe perches at night to roost on building ledges, window sills and under bridges to avoid nocturnal predators.

The ancient Egyptians recognized the combination of speed and sense of direction that domesticated pigeons possessed and used pigeons as messengers. During World War I, homing pigeons were used to deliver messages across enemy lines. Cher Ami was one of 600 Army Signal Corps pigeons sent to France to assist with battlefield communication. The legend of Cheri Ami documents this brave pigeon’s flight to deliver a life-saving note to Army headquarters, despite being shot, losing a leg and blinded on her flight across the battlefield. Cher Ami was awarded the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre. This famous pigeon’s taxidermied body is in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The U.S. Army’s Signal Corps Pigeon program was headquartered at Fort Monmouth, NJ, from 1919 until 1957.

New York City has a longstanding tradition of pigeon racing. In the 1930s, 40s and 50s, pigeon coops were kept on many rooftops throughout the Lower East Side, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Homing pigeons were specially bred and trained to compete in races. The pigeons were released into the sky to fly from one location and arrive back at their home coop in the fastest time.

As a young child, my family drove to visit our Italian relatives at the multi-family brownstone they owned in Ridgewood, Queens. My mother’s grandfather (my great-grandfather) was very old and cheerfully greeted us from his bed after a life-time of hard work and injuries as a stone mason. Uncle Tommy would lead us up the four flights of stairs to the rooftop to visit the pigeon coop. I was fascinated to see all of these cooing birds perched in their wooden house high above the bustling streets.

Pigeons are often referred to as “rats with wings” or as “the cockroaches of the sky.” My favorite pigeon reference found online: “Some days you’re the pigeon, some days you’re the statue.”

Kim Kovach prefers that pigeons do not fly over her car. Please visit Kim at kimkovachwrites.com,