Paperback, 240 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2021 by Workman Publishing Company.
Part field guide, part history, part ornithology primer, and altogether fun.
Fact: Pigeons are amazing, and until recently, humans adored them. We’ve kept them as pets, held pigeon beauty contests, raced them, used them to carry messages over battlefields, harvested their poop to fertilize our crops—and cooked them in gourmet dishes. Now, with The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, readers can rediscover the wonder. Equal parts illustrated field guide and quirky history, it covers behavior: Why they coo; how they flock; how they preen, kiss, and mate (monogamously); and how they raise their young (on chunky pigeon milk). Anatomy and identification, from Birmingham Roller to the American Giant Runt to the Scandaroon. Birder issues, like what to do if you find a baby pigeon stranded in the park. And our lively shared story together, including all the things we’ve taught them—Ping-Pong, for example. “Rats with wings?” Think again. Pigeons coo, …
Part field guide, part history, part ornithology primer, and altogether fun.
Fact: Pigeons are amazing, and until recently, humans adored them. We’ve kept them as pets, held pigeon beauty contests, raced them, used them to carry messages over battlefields, harvested their poop to fertilize our crops—and cooked them in gourmet dishes. Now, with The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, readers can rediscover the wonder. Equal parts illustrated field guide and quirky history, it covers behavior: Why they coo; how they flock; how they preen, kiss, and mate (monogamously); and how they raise their young (on chunky pigeon milk). Anatomy and identification, from Birmingham Roller to the American Giant Runt to the Scandaroon. Birder issues, like what to do if you find a baby pigeon stranded in the park. And our lively shared story together, including all the things we’ve taught them—Ping-Pong, for example. “Rats with wings?” Think again. Pigeons coo, peck and nest all over the world, yet most of us treat them with indifference or disdain. So Rosemary Mosco, a bird-lover, science communicator, writer, and cartoonist (and co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid) is here to give the pigeon's image a makeover, and to help every town- and city-dweller get closer to nature by discovering the joys of birding through pigeon-watching.
A very fun read with lots of gorgeous and hilarious illustrations. Lots of interesting historical and cultural connections I had never heard of before.
I definitely see pigeons differently after reading this one.
A fast, funny, informative read about, well, pigeons (and to some extent other birds). Readers of the author’s webcomic about nature, Bird and Moon, will recognize the quirky humor and the drawing style of the illustrations.
You might think pigeons are boring because they’re so common, but they can be as interesting as any other bird once you start looking. And because they’re found everywhere humans live (there’s a reason for that), anyone can go out and start looking in the real world for the patterns and behaviors described.
The irreverent but enthusiastic style draws you in as the book runs through the long history of pigeons and humans. We’ve bred them for messaging, food, chemistry and as pets since ancient times, and the common pigeons seen today are descended from domestic pigeons that have escaped over the years. It continues through an overview of pigeon anatomy, what types of …
A fast, funny, informative read about, well, pigeons (and to some extent other birds). Readers of the author’s webcomic about nature, Bird and Moon, will recognize the quirky humor and the drawing style of the illustrations.
You might think pigeons are boring because they’re so common, but they can be as interesting as any other bird once you start looking. And because they’re found everywhere humans live (there’s a reason for that), anyone can go out and start looking in the real world for the patterns and behaviors described.
The irreverent but enthusiastic style draws you in as the book runs through the long history of pigeons and humans. We’ve bred them for messaging, food, chemistry and as pets since ancient times, and the common pigeons seen today are descended from domestic pigeons that have escaped over the years. It continues through an overview of pigeon anatomy, what types of coloration are most and least common, the extremes of modern pigeon breeds (there are still pigeon races and pigeon shows!), and of course pigeon behaviors.
If you buy an e-book edition like I did, it’s worth pulling it up on a color screen when you get to the chapters on appearance.
A nice and fascinating book that gives a look at a bird we are all probably very familiar with: the pigeon (to be more precise, the feral Rock Pigeon). From how it came to be, the various breeds that eventually came to form the pigeon, its behaviour, and we can live with it, this book will give you a good and quick guide. It also has a number of good illustrations of pigeon, which is no surprise as the author also publishes good web comics on nature at [ www.birdandmoon.com/ ].
Chapter one gives an overview of the family of pigeons (and doves): their natural history, some species of pigeons to be found and how the common (or rock) pigeon came to be found in human habitats all over the world.
Chapter two looks at the history of the relationship between the pigeon and humans. Domesticated in prehistoric times, the …
A nice and fascinating book that gives a look at a bird we are all probably very familiar with: the pigeon (to be more precise, the feral Rock Pigeon). From how it came to be, the various breeds that eventually came to form the pigeon, its behaviour, and we can live with it, this book will give you a good and quick guide. It also has a number of good illustrations of pigeon, which is no surprise as the author also publishes good web comics on nature at [ www.birdandmoon.com/ ].
Chapter one gives an overview of the family of pigeons (and doves): their natural history, some species of pigeons to be found and how the common (or rock) pigeon came to be found in human habitats all over the world.
Chapter two looks at the history of the relationship between the pigeon and humans. Domesticated in prehistoric times, the pigeon became a source of food and fertilizer for people. Later on, they became prized birds for breeders and a way to send messages over long distances. But the rise of other ways to communicate and other sources of food (like chickens) began to make pigeons unpopular.
Chapter three looks at the anatomy of pigeons from the outside in. Interesting parts include its lungs and air sacs that give birds a more efficient breathing system, a four chambered heart that evolved independently to that of mammals, and the mental abilities of birds and pigeons.
Chapter four looks at various pigeon breeds. Depending on what people want, pigeons have been bred to race, for meat, to show extremes of plumage, postures or other characteristics.
Chapter five gives an interesting summary on the genetics of current feral pigeons. A brief introduction to genetics and dominant and recessive traits is given first. Then, a quick summary of the various traits that control the colours of pigeons and the various combinations of patterns is presented, along with illustrations of the various patterns.
Chapter six looks at the behaviour of pigeons: the way they sound, fly and walk, find food and mates, build nests and raise their young.
Chapter seven gives some general advice on what to do to get rid of or care for pigeons. The best advice is to look for local pigeon or wildlife organizations that can help, as well as found more research.
An extra section at the end talks about other birds that can be seen in urban areas besides pigeons. These include birds that hunt pigeons like falcons and eagles, other kinds of pigeons, and other urban birds.
