Why Pigeons, Not Parrots, Are The Ideal Avian Companion
The underdog of the bird world deserves to be at our sides.
As a society, we don’t appreciate pigeons much. They’re known for being dirty, annoying, and covering everything from sidewalks to national monuments with their feces. Pigeons haven’t had a great public image — to most, they are dumb and disease ridden birds. But in reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth. References to domestic pigeons are found both in Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets. Pigeons have been bred for thousands of years to work at our sides — many giving their lives to aid us as messengers of war. And yet, they are far from most people’s preferred avian pet — a parrot of various species, despite how little captivity suits them.
I’ll admit that I’m a little biased. I’ve worked with both species — and while I love parrots wholeheartedly and hope to share my home with them again in the future, they are far from an appropriate pet for everyone. I hope that when I open my home to a bird again , it’s a pigeon — because God, it would just be so much easier. Parrots are extremely emotionally intense animals who truly crave near-constant attention; which is, of course, pretty much impossible for the majority of parrot owners. Pigeons…
