🕊Pigeons: Rats with wings or avian athletes?

If you’re a city dweller, you likely think of pigeons as little more than pests. City governments certainly consider them such, spending an abundance of time and energy on pigeon-related problems such as [feces removal]( [population control]( and fixing damage to buildings and other infrastructure. But there’s more to the much-maligned bird. Pigeons have served in wars; they’ve delivered mail, stock prices, and—in parts of the world—they’ve transferred data faster than the Internet as recently as a decade ago. They make [great pets](. And they’re stellar at racing, a sport that has some pretty famous patrons, including Queen Elizabeth II. It’s not as big a deal on the other side of the Atlantic—the US has only one-third as many racers as its mother country. And it’s banned in Chicago, which [outlawed]( the sport in 2004 on hygenic grounds. (“Flatulence is like roses compared to the smell of pigeon manure,” one resident [complained]( We’re willing to bet the world of pigeon racing is unfamiliar terrain for most of you, so let’s do a quick fly-by on the sport, its athletes, and what makes pigeons more than just “trash doves.” 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Obsession] Pigeons August 03, 2018 Something to coo about --------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re a city dweller, you likely think of pigeons as little more than pests. City governments certainly consider them such, spending an abundance of time and energy on pigeon-related problems such as [feces removal]( [population control]( and fixing damage to buildings and other infrastructure. But there’s more to the much-maligned bird. Pigeons have served in wars; they’ve delivered mail, stock prices, and—in parts of the world—they’ve transferred data faster than the Internet as recently as a decade ago. They make [great pets](. And they’re stellar at racing, a sport that has some pretty famous patrons, including Queen Elizabeth II. It’s not as big a deal on the other side of the Atlantic—the US has only one-third as many racers as its mother country. And it’s banned in Chicago, which [outlawed]( the sport in 2004 on hygenic grounds. (“Flatulence is like roses compared to the smell of pigeon manure,” one resident [complained]( We’re willing to bet the world of pigeon racing is unfamiliar terrain for most of you, so let’s do a quick fly-by on the sport, its athletes, and what makes pigeons more than just “trash doves.” 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Giphy By the digits [25:]( Pounds of excrement produced by one pigeon annually. [90 mph:]( Average speed some racing pigeons have attained, more than double the speed of [Winning Brew]( the holder of the Guinness Book of World Records title for fastest speed for a race horse. [2,300:]( Miles flown by a U.S. Army Signal Corps pigeon in a single flight—a world record. [$13,000:]( Cost to spray Richard Nixon’s inauguration parade route with “Roost No More” repellent, resulting in dozens of dead pigeons on the sidewalks. [£40,000:]( Cost of replacing Queen Elizabeth II’s pigeon loft in 2015. [250,000:]( Pigeons deployed by MI5 during WWII. [83%:]( Proportion of Amazon reviewers that give 5 stars to Mo Willems’ Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Reuters/Vivek Prakash Explain It Like I’m 5! Why do pigeons like cities? --------------------------------------------------------------- Pigeons are also called “rock doves” because they’re [doves who like rocks]( cliffs, ledges, and caves. Buildings are a natural (or unnatural) alternative. The downside for pigeons? While other birds have had to adapt to survive in the concrete jungle, selecting for bigger brains, pigeons “need [little intellectual energy]( to adapt.” On the other hand, scientists have [some evidence]( that urban pigeons tend to be dark gray because the increased melanin helps them remove heavy metals from their blood. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton Stuffed pigeons [for sale]( in New York City. (Because, of course.) Million-Dollar Question What’s the difference between pigeons and doves? --------------------------------------------------------------- One is revered as a symbol of peace, love, and harmony; the other is reviled as a “rat with wings.” Public opinion is essentially the only area these birds differ; according to [Audubon]( doves and pigeons are the exact same thing. So why do we have different terms for the same bird? Geography. Germans dubbed the common bird “dove,” while the French referred to them as “pigeons.” Fun fact! Molecular analysis of DNA collected from an Oxford University dodo specimen [revealed]( that the extinct bird is part of the Columbidae family made up of pigeons and doves. The dodo’s closest living relative is the [Nicobar pigeon](. War Pig...eons The birds that fought battles --------------------------------------------------------------- During WWI and WWII, all parties involved realized how valuable homing pigeons could be for their efforts. The avian soldiers were used in many capacities, including as OG drones, capturing [aerial photography]( of enemy territory via tiny cameras strapped to their legs. But they were most useful as messengers, capable of flying long distances to deliver microfilm images, notes from soldiers in distress, and sensitive pieces of intelligence. Though more than [100,000]( pigeons were used during WWI alone, there’s one that stands out from the flock: Cher Ami. The Black Check cock carrier pigeon successfully delivered 12 messages before taking an enemy bullet to the breast and leg. But the wound couldn’t stop Cher Ami from delivering his important message: The location of American troops stranded under heavy German fire. Cher Ami survived the feat—and so did 194 soldiers. General John Pershing himself recommended the bird for the highest military honors that could be bestowed upon an animal, [saying]( “There isn’t anything the United States can do too much for this bird.” Cher Ami received the Croix de Guerre, a French military award that recognized Allied soldiers for valorous service. Giphy Primer Pigeon racing basics --------------------------------------------------------------- Long-distance pigeon racing has enthralled audiences and pigeon fanciers alike since it debuted in [1818](. Here’s how it works: Pigeon owners, known as fanciers, can house birds in a loft shared with other racing pigeons (called One Loft racing). When they race, they’re taken to a location, then released at the same time. Whichever bird makes it back to the shared loft first is the winner. Fanciers can also keep pigeons at home. In this case, they take their birds to the race starting point, where they are released to fly back to their individual lofts. Because each bird’s home loft is a different distance from the starting point, the winner is the bird with the fastest average speed based on the time elapsed between start and finish. Fast pigeons can earn their owners hundreds of thousands of dollars—even millions for certain races. Higher stakes comes with higher entry fees—the fee for China’s Diamond Elite Race is the equivalent of [$8,000]( the first-place pigeon earns $1.5 million. It should come as no surprise that the sport has been plagued by [doping scandals]( with birds dosed with adulterants from painkillers to cocaine. Giphy Glossary Pigeon racing terminology --------------------------------------------------------------- 🐦Rollers: Pigeon breeds known for their ability to do rapid somersaults in the air. Popular breeds include the Birmingham Roller, the Galatz Roller, the Oriental Roller, and the Parlor Roller. 🐦Tumblers: Pigeon breeds capable of “tumbling” or rolling backward while inflight. Breeds include the Armenian Tumbler, the Berlin Short-Faced Tumbler, the West of England Tumbler, and the Komorner Tumbler. 🐦Tipplers: Breeds that are able to fly for long periods of time without tiring—up to 22 hours in some instances. 🐦Racing Homer: A popular breed of pigeon specifically bred for racing. moral quandries Is pigeon racing ethical? --------------------------------------------------------------- Depends on who you ask. Proponents of the sport, including the [Royal Pigeon Racing Association]( are quick to point out that fanciers value their pigeons both as pets and investments, and go to extreme lengths to make sure they’re raised in the lap of luxury. “Long flights and the homing instinct that forms the basis of the sport are natural features of pigeon physiognomy, not something that is forced on them,” the RPPA writes. PETA disagrees, claiming that more than 60% of birds in a given race race get lost or die as a result of weather, predators, electrical lines, hunters, and exhaustion. And, [PETA claims]( birds that don’t perform well are often killed inhumanely. 💬LET'S TALK! Discuss this topic now with other [Obsession Obsessives on Reddit](. Be the first to join our new community and take us down a 🐰🕳 of your own! Giphy Pop quiz Which celebrity has not raised racing pigeons? OprahMike TysonTerry BradshawWalt Disney Correct. As far as we know, Oprah has never raced pigeons. Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Reuters/Jaime Saldarriaga Brief history The pigeonternet --------------------------------------------------------------- Ever since God showed Noah the rainbow sign, pigeons have been used to deliver information, in peacetime as well as war. They delivered [news of chariot-race results]( to the ancient Romans. The Rothschilds sent [banking information]( to each other via pigeon. Paul Julius Reuter, who operated the stock-quotes service that would become Reuters, [used the birds]( to get the numbers from Aachen to Brussels and back while waiting for a telegraph line to be completed. More recently their slow-and-steady information-delivery skills have been used to shame broadband companies—in [2009 in South Africa]( and in [2010 in the UK]( pigeons bearing USB drives successfully raced puttering internet services. Pigeon religion Tesla’s obsession --------------------------------------------------------------- Nikola Tesla had many eccentricities, including an intense [hatred of pearls]( and an intense love for pigeons. He [rescued]( injured birds from local parks and treated them in his hotel room. In his later years, as a resident at the Hotel New Yorker, he asked the resident chef to make a special blend of seed for his flock. And although he loved all of his pigeons, a pure white bird with grey tips on its wings stood out. [According]( to Tesla legend, the bird flew into his hotel room to tell him she was dying. An intense light came from her eyes, and then she passed—which is when Tesla knew his life’s work was finished. Quotable “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.” —[Nikola Tesla]( on his favorite pet pigeon Significant moments in science Creation of the universe or creation of excrement? --------------------------------------------------------------- In 1964, Robert W. Wilson and Arno A. Penzias heard a radio signal that would eventually lead to confirmation of the Big Bang Theory. But when the signal appeared, the scientists had to rule out other reasons for its existence. One reason for the hissing noise, they speculated, was a troublesome pair of pigeons that had recently started roosting inside of the antenna they used to find the signal. Specifically, Wilson and Penzias worried that their droppings could be causing erroneous noises. To put that theory to rest, the scientists trapped the birds, cleaned the equipment, and continued testing. With the pigeon possibility eliminated, the Big Bang became more plausible—and after experimenting for a year, the noise, deemed cosmic background radiation, was identified as “an echo of the universe at a very early moment after its birth,” [according]( to the Smithsonian. Today, the metal trap that captured the pigeons is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Watch this! Everyone’s favorite fastidious Muppet rivals Tesla in his avian obsession. Take a trip down memory lane—here’s your old pal Bert live from the Pigeon Convention, Doin’ the Pigeon. Nike Get the look Street-bird wear --------------------------------------------------------------- In 2005, Nike teamed with artist Jeff Staple to create a New York City tribute shoe. The Dunk Low SB “Pigeon,” with an embroidered bird, gray leather, and a pink-red sole, came by its theme [because]( “the bird just doesn’t give a crap, they’ll walk right over you… they won’t fly away, they’re not scared, and that really personifies New York.” The limited edition of 150 got people to camp out in February, caused shoving matches—and was a [turning point in sneaker culture](. Originals now cost [$5,000-$10,000](. Reuters//Wolfgang Rattay Poll How do you feel about pigeons? [Click here to vote]( Flying rats, indeed.Hey, it’s their planet, too.I’m one step away from Tesla. The fine print In yesterday’s poll about [cold chains]( 53% of you said you’re grateful for ice cream. Today’s email was written by [Stacy Conradt,]( by [Whet Moser,]( produced by [Luiz Romero](. 📧 FROM THE INBOX A few of our favorite responses to this week’s topics. Let us know what you think using the links below! There is another cloud on the olive oil horizon: the Xylella Fastidiosa disease that causes the olive tree quick decline syndrome, now a very big deal in the Puglia region of Italy. Like the phylloxera wine ‘plague’ in the second half of the 18th century, there’s no real cure except to cut down and destroy infected trees. With old vines this was an huge issue, with 200 to 1,000-year-old olive trees, it’s a dramatically bigger problem. Unfortunately the Xylella infection is spreading fast.—[u/kimrampling]( — Perhaps the other major reason [seesaws]( disappeared from playgrounds is that they are boring! Kids play on them for 30 seconds and move on to something more interesting.—Bob — A bit too many buzz/sweet/hive/[honey laundering]( puns.—Jim — I think India has a [bail]( system including something called “anticipatory bail” where you can approach a judge and seek a bail because you think you are getting arrested. —Karthi — I was wondering if in your research you uncovered how to ‘find’ [Braille]( I’ve always wondered how blind people know where to touch in order to read it, for example some restroom doors have Braille on them as well as the man/woman icon. Is there a ‘standard’ height/position of navigational Braille like this?—Robin — I just wanted to say I loved [cold chains](