Homing pigeon
Selectively bred domestic pigeon used for long-distance message delivery.
The homing pigeon is a specially bred type of domestic pigeon, developed for its remarkable talent of navigating home across vast distances. This skill made them useful for carrying messages, a system known as pigeon post. Before telephones became common, they were a commercial means of communication, and in wartime they were called war pigeons. These birds are also known as mail pigeons, messenger pigeons, or simply homers. The term "carrier pigeon" is frequently used, but this can be misleading because it refers to a different, older fancy breed called the English carrier. Modern homing pigeons do carry some English carrier ancestry, as they are partly descended from those old-style birds.
The domestic pigeon comes from the wild rock dove, which already has a natural homing instinct—it tends to return to its nest using magnetoreception. In competitive racing, birds have been recorded flying as far as 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles). Those bred specifically for such races are called racing homers. Over a moderate distance of about 965 kilometers (600 miles), their average speed is around 97 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour), and top racers can reach up to 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) over short distances.
Evidence suggests homing pigeons were used for message delivery in Ancient Egypt as early as 1350 BCE. Messages were tied to a pigeon’s leg, and the bird was released to fly back to its nest. Around the first century CE, Pliny the Elder described pigeons being used as military messengers. By the 19th century, they were widely employed for military communications. The practice of using flying messenger pigeons was established at least 3,000 years ago, including announcing winners at the Ancient Olympics. In 1150, they were used in Baghdad, and later by Genghis Khan. By 1167, Sultan Nur ad-Din had set up a regular service between Baghdad and Syria. In 1436, Spanish traveler Pedro Tafur saw carrier pigeons for the first time in Damietta, at the Nile’s mouth, though he mistakenly thought the birds made round trips. The Republic of Genoa used pigeon posts in their Mediterranean watchtower system. Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1750–1799) also used messenger pigeons, which returned to the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna, his headquarters; pigeon holes remain in the mosque’s minarets today.
- Scientific name
- Columba livia domestica
- Origin
- Derived from the wild rock dove (Columba livia sspp.)
- Average flying speed
- Around 97 km/h (60 mph) over 965 km (600 miles)
- Maximum recorded flight distance
- 1,800 km (1,100 miles)
- Maximum short-distance speed
- Up to 160 km/h (100 mph)
- Known for
- Homing ability used for message delivery (pigeon post) and wartime communication
Lore & Background
Evidence suggests homing pigeons were used for pigeon post in Ancient Egypt by 1350 BCE. Messages were tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach its original nest. Pliny the Elder described pigeons used as military messengers around the first century CE. By the 19th century, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications. The use of flying messenger pigeons was well-established as early as 3000 years ago; they were used to proclaim the winner of the Ancient Olympics. Messenger pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad and later by Genghis Khan. By 1167, a regular service between Baghdad and Syria had been established by Sultan Nur ad-Din. The Republic of Genoa equipped its system of watch towers in the Mediterranean Sea with pigeon posts. Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1750–1799) also used messenger pigeons; they returned to the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna.
Reader's Guide
The homing pigeon's significance lies in its role as a reliable long-distance communication method before modern technology. For millennia, from Ancient Egypt to the 20th century, these birds enabled message delivery across vast distances, serving both commercial and military purposes. Their use in wartime, such as during World War I, demonstrated their strategic value. The birds' homing ability, based on a 'map and compass' model, has been the subject of extensive research, with theories involving magnetic fields, olfactory navigation, visual landmarks, and infrasound. Despite the advent of telephones and the internet, homing pigeons were still employed in the 21st century by certain remote police departments in Odisha, India, for emergency communication after natural disasters. Their legacy includes the establishment of early airmail services and ongoing competitive racing, where flights as long as 1,800 km have been recorded. The Swiss army stopped using pigeons in 1994 after 77 years of service. The Taliban banned the keeping or use of pigeons in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. To this day, pigeons are still entered into competitions.
Did You Know?
- Homing pigeons can fly at speeds up to 160 km/h (100 mph) over short distances.
- The world's first 'airmail' stamps were issued for the Great Barrier Pigeon-Gram Service from 1898 to 1908.
- In 1860, Paul Reuter used a fleet of over 45 pigeons to deliver news and stock prices between Brussels and Aachen.
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