When we look at the pigeons that fly around the parks and waddle around on the hunt for something to eat, we either think of getting rid of pigeons as pests or cute little animals that deserve a bite of our doughnut.

But, did you know that pigeons have a unique history that actually made them one of the most valuable animals in the world for those that needed to get word to someone else in a distant location. That’s right, you guessed it: messenger birds! Here is everything you need to know about these fascinating historical pigeons.

For thousands of years, pigeons have been used to carry messages back and forth amongst people, because of their natural homing characteristic. For this reason, a pigeon would be taken in a cage to a certain location, where a message would be written and attached to the foot of a pigeon and then the bird would be released. The pigeon would naturally make its way back to the place it had come from when it first went into the cage, and voila…a postal pigeon.

It is believed that the Persians were the first ones to use pigeons as messengers. The Romans and the Greeks also relied heavily on this bird when they needed to get a message to a neighbouring town or village. Pigeons were considered the fastest message service. Pigeon post was even developed to the point where individual pigeons would be registered to certain people or addresses, so it was a very sophisticated service. This was especially useful if a pigeon went off track or somehow ended up at a different destination. With their individual markings and records, it would be clear who the message and the pigeon belonged to.

As you may already know, pigeons were also responsible for sending messages back and forth in war times, and were named “war pigeons”. This was an effective way of communication for many behind battle lines, and the enemy was unable to capture the pigeons the majority of the time, meaning that most of the time the messages remained safe.

That is a brief history of pigeons. While it’s understandable that you may still see them as pests, maybe knowing their diverse and intriguing history will allow you to admire them a little more and not be so quick to ignore their attributes. Of course, they can be a nuisance, so calling a humane pest control company for pigeon control in London is a good idea, despite their merits!