Pigeons are a special existence. They’re extremely intelligent, with the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, something that even dogs and cats can’t do. Pigeons can be trained to discern between images and words, spot malignant tumors, recognize patterns and learn from consequences to improve their choice making.
Not only that, but pigeons are incredibly affectionate, both to humans and their mates. Their cooing isn’t as loud as parrot screeching as well. Pigeons are social animals, so they need at least one other pigeon or a person to constantly be with them. Unlike parrots, pigeons can still live happily with a person rather than a fellow bird. This is only true if the person is able to almost always stay near their pigeon, though.
I have learned much about pigeons ever since I got my first pigeon, Opal, an Old German Owl pigeon. Currently, I own three pigeons. My other two pigeons are Cinnamon and Cinnabon, both racing pigeons.
Honestly, it never occurred to me that I would actually own pigeons. Sure, I enjoyed looking at them, but that was all. Until 2022, when I got Opal, the only experience I had with pigeons were the ones inhabiting cities. Due to this, I never considered the idea that there could be pigeons with a plumage as beautiful, or even more so, than some parrots.
The thing was, I actually wanted a dove like the ringed-neck dove; I wasn’t trying to buy a pigeon. It turns out that the Mexican pet store that I bought Opal from sold me a pigeon rather than a dove. It didn’t dawn on me that I’d bought a pigeon until later on when I’d discovered her actual breed.
After a couple months of keeping Opal, she grew to be extremely affectionate. She would consistently fly onto my head or shoulders and give me small bird kisses. She would also demand to be petted all the time. She was so needy that she would put her entire body in front of my computer or phone to try and cover it up so I’d pay attention to her. It was an extremely effective strategy.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t fated to last. The fact is, I still had to attend school for many hours of the day. For most of the day, Opal would be left alone without anyone to give her love and affection. It was absolutely heartbreaking to do this.
To remedy this, I got Cinnamon from a bird sanctuary. He bonded with Opal quickly and kept her company while I was at school. To this day, Cinnamon still very rarely lets me pet him. He is a very feisty bird. As a side effect of this bond, she never let me pet her again. Whenever I try to pet her, she bites and holds onto my fingers. Although her bites are painful, it doesn’t actually leave any marks or makes me bleed. In fact, I feel bad because of how she believes she’s actually doing something to me with such a weak attack.
I got Cinnabon in 2024. Unlike Opal and Cinnamon, Cinnabon allows me to pet him. He coos at me whenever he wants me to pay attention to him and bows to me whenever he wants to be pet. He is the most affectionate and playful of my pigeons. He’s also the youngest, but he gets along well with Cinnamon. His over dependency on me scares me, though.
Owning pigeons has been the highlight of my life. It is my hope that other people will appreciate pigeons the same way I do. If anyone is interested in owning a bird in the near or far future, I’d recommend a pigeon. They’re much more affectionate and friendly than parrots, although this may just be my experience and bias towards pigeons. Either way, pigeons don’t deserve the hate or disgust they receive.
Pigeons were the first domesticated birds, after all. They, too, deserve love for serving humans for so many years only to be tossed away like trash by those very same humans.
