Chapter 24 Twenty-two doves, falcons and other birds

perform their duties ★The ubiquitous rock pigeon There are estimated to be about 310 species of birds in the dove family. These birds are commonly known worldwide as pigeons and doves, although the two names are also used interchangeably.The pigeon family is distributed all over the world, and only one species has been raised by humans. At present, except for the high-latitude arctic regions and some islands, as long as there are human settlements, traces of this pigeon will be found; Common birds are called rock pigeons. The original distribution range of the pigeon is very wide: Faroe Islands (Faroe Islands, in Denmark), Shetland Islands (Shetland, in the United Kingdom), Orkney Island (Orkney, in the United Kingdom), Ireland, Scotland, south to the Mediterranean Sea, across the Africa north of the equator, West Asia, Arabia, India, and Sri Lanka, perhaps as far east as Mongolia and China.Today, although pigeons are still common in these areas, due to human relations, people in other parts of the world can now see their whereabouts.Even where the domestic rock pigeon is not seen, there are still millions of wild rock pigeons.Wild rock pigeons, feral rock pigeons and domestic rock pigeons can be crossed with each other, resulting in countless rock pigeon genes that have spread almost all over the world.The rock pigeon is the most numerous and apparently the most adaptable bird in the world.

After the domestic pigeons raised by human beings are temporarily strayed outside or abandoned by humans, the offspring bred by mating with each other or cross-crossing with wild populations in the wild become wild pigeons.The rewilded pigeons are almost entirely descended from flying breeds such as carrier and racing pigeons, rather than the flamboyant and swaggering breeds that ornithologists label clumsy.Feral pigeons differ in some ways from true wild rock pigeons in that they have proportionally narrower bodies, longer tails, wider beaks, and a larger cere at the base of the beaks.However, most people probably still can't tell the difference between these two kinds of pigeons.

Pigeons, feral and feral, seem to have an innate habit of being around human dwellings; this is especially the case with people who live in the areas where the pigeons normally roam.Both men and women probably kept pigeons, or at least some fairly domesticated feral pigeons, well before the Neolithic.Feral pigeons are not as easy to scare as most wild birds. Simple actions like spreading seeds can attract them close, so it is really easy to catch them. We don't know exactly when humans started keeping pigeons.The evidence provided by the bones is not very helpful for speculation at this time, because we often cannot tell from the bones whether those pigeons were hunted wild pigeons or domesticated pigeons.

Pigeons have been raised in Mesopotamia from about 4,500 to 5,000 years ago.The Minoans and the Hebrews also had pigeons.They built tall towers for the pigeons to nest in, and the practice is still in use today.The Romans also built such towers.Pigeons are considered a very tasty delicacy and are eaten in large quantities.It's not clear whether early societies regularly ate pigeons, or simply kept them for religious purposes.Pigeons have long been ritual birds, readily available and inexpensive.However, I suspect that when humans bred pigeons for some purpose, there must have been some people with the intention of eating them as well.

The amazing feat of carrier pigeons has been discovered at least as far back as the Roman occupation of Egypt, when armies often used them to deliver urgent messages and news.In the first century AD, Emperor Nero (Nero, [Note 1]) also used carrier pigeons; during the Crusades [Note 2], both sides of the enemy also used carrier pigeons.In fact, carrier pigeons were still used extensively well into World War I. 【Note 1】In AD 37︱68, the Roman emperor was the last emperor of the Julio︱Claudian dynasty.The first five years of Nero's reign are known as the golden age in history. 【Note 2】In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the religious expeditions from Western Europe to the East were aimed at liberating the Holy Land in Palestine from Muslims (Islamists), and establishing and maintaining Christian rule there.

Now, some people sell pigeons on the market, and pigeons are also regarded as delicious food.Pigeon breeders keep millions of pigeons, whether they are breeds or varieties specially bred for exhibition or for racing. For most people, the first birds they see, or at least notice, are wild or feral pigeons.Pigeons are like feathered hobos, scavenging for food dropped by humans or left on farms or on the streets of towns and cities.They are so ordinary birds that many people can't appreciate that they are actually a very beautiful bird, especially when they hover in the air, the posture is like a superb stunt performer.Whether it is for hunting, catching, eating, feeding, displaying, competing, or offering sacrifices, humans have a long history of using pigeons.As one of the poultry species, pigeons have been developed in many different shapes, coat colours, styles and sizes.In addition to the rock pigeon, connoisseurs keep many strange breeds of pigeons, but these are not pigeons that have been domesticated by humans.Some pigeons may have been more or less improved, perhaps, by the zeal of the bird-keepers, but it is doubtful whether they, like the rock-pigeon, could have been truly domesticated by man.

★Falcon Humans have used countless species of predatory birds in the hunting sport known as falconry.I have not yet been able to give definitive statistics or classifications of the species of game birds in the world, but at least they include falcons, martin falcons, kestrels, hawks, even owls, and, of course, many species of hawks. Among so many species, the peregrine falcon is undoubtedly the most popular.Their natural distribution range is all over the world; because peregrine lovers and viewers often take trained peregrines with them, they can be seen almost everywhere humans go.Peregrine falcons can fly up to 80 miles per hour (about 218.7 kilometers), and when they dive or dive, they can reach a speed of 250 miles per hour (about 402.3 kilometers), so they have the royal falcon (royal falcon) ) reputation and honor.

In the past, peregrine falcons were usually not available to ordinary people; today, they are protected, and a trained peregrine falcon can be worth as much as US$35,000 to 40,000 on the black market.There was a time in certain areas where it was a serious crime for anyone other than royalty or nobles to own a peregrine falcon.At the time, falconry was purely a gentleman's sport. Before the third millennium BC, the Egyptians used the falcon as a symbol of death and worship of the dead.Perhaps they also released falcons, but there is no evidence to prove it.There is evidence that the Assyrians did fly falcons, but the Greeks apparently did not.It is very strange that the Romans did not fly falcons either; and it is indeed inexplicable why these Romans, who loved the arena and the deadly games, should forgo the militaristic art and glory of flying falcons to catch their prey.Before the Middle Ages, falconry had become a ritual. In all royal courtyards, there were dedicated staff responsible for falconry, just like the royal family must have musicians, weapon manufacturing and repair craftsmen, and horse trainers.In many portraits of kings, queens or gentlemen, the beloved falcon rests on their arms.The falcon is a symbol that is used with fanaticism.

Still, peregrine falcons, or any other carnivorous game bird, are not poultry; humans use them, but they don't breed them.Game birds have the relentless, savage aerial hunting skills necessary for endearing traits, and it is conceivable that humans do not need to breed them at all. They are such skilled killers that there is really nothing for humans to polish and correct. .It is the needs of survival, not human vision and taste, that carve falcons to such perfection. ★ostrich There is also a small group of larger birds called the ratites, a name derived from the Latin word raft, meaning flat, based on the sternum or keel of these birds. (where the flight muscles of birds attach).Since these large birds have lost the ability to fly, they no longer need flight muscles or a keel for attachment.

The ratite is by far the largest bird on earth, even comparable to the extinct New Zealand moa (about 3.35 to 3.65 meters tall) or the Madagascar elephant bird (whose foot bones are equivalent to a modern-day one. Steers) are lighter by comparison, but are still very large birds.The largest of these is the 300-pound (about 136 kg) African ostrich that lives in semi-arid savannahs or great plains.Others include two rheas in South America, three cassowaries in Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and emus in Australia. Humans have raised ostriches for thousands of years.Ostriches are hunted or raised for their meat, the feathers of males, and the large, large eggs of females.It is generally believed that the first jewels were made from round fragments of ostrich eggshells attached to leather cords.Ostrich eggshell is a durable material and is easier to carve than stone.Ostrich eggs are sometimes traded for food, sometimes the shell is painted or gilded as an artistic creation, and others are used as decorations.

The French in Algeria began breeding ostriches around the mid-1800s, and prior to that, attempts are said to have been made in Sicily and elsewhere.The technique of keeping these large birds, which may have reached its zenith in South Africa, has become a speculation and fashion in the United States in recent years. Australian emus have also begun to be raised in pens in the United States under people's expectations. There is no doubt that people There will be great interest in this large bird in the backyard.While there are already sky-high prices being offered, there is actually one problem with this whole project. These birds are just too dangerous.If you accidentally get kicked by an ostrich, it is enough to send an adult to the hospital, or even cause the death of a child.When I was in Kenya, I once watched a female ostrich attack a car after a wagon approached its nest (just a very low depression in the dirt).Her first kick hit the taillight on the left side of the car and dented the rear liftgate; while chasing the station wagon at thirty miles an hour (about forty-eight kilometers) on a dirt road, she slammed it again. A second kick resulted in severe damage to the right rear fender.So it's not wise to think of an emu as a pet bird in your backyard. It is not convincing to say that ostriches raised in captivity are significantly different from wild ostriches that have been hunted by humans for tens of thousands of years.Perhaps the best description of ostriches is that they are a bird that is intensively used or exploited by humans rather than a domesticated bird.As for emus, in comparison, humans should use them less, and the history is not too long. Incidentally, the story about ostriches burying their heads in the sand to escape reality, while amusing, is pure fiction.The ostrich has a pair of big eyes and a long and rotatable neck. In fact, they are extremely alert to everything in their surroundings. ★cormorants In Japan and China, fishermen fishing in lakes and rivers have long used cormorants to catch fish for them.Charles I of England employed Mr. Wood as his cormorant specialist, and Louis XIII of France kept these smooth diving bird.There are currently thirty-one species of cormorants in the world, all of which belong to the family Cormorantidae, and those used in strange fishing activities may belong to two or three species or subspecies: from India and China and The common Chinese cormorant, the green cormorant from Japan and Korea, and the great European cormorant.In fact, the European great cormorant is not limited to Europe, it can be seen all over the world. [Note 1] AD 1600︱1649, King of England, Scotland and Ireland. [Note 2] AD 1187︱1226, king of France. Are cormorants considered birds that have been domesticated by humans?Some scholars believe the answer is yes.Because humans hatch cormorant eggs in poultry nests, however, if the eggs are retrieved directly from wild cormorant nests, the type of hatching equipment should not affect the life history of the chicks; some cormorants have Irregular light-colored spots, but wild cormorants can also have these spots.This is a matter for discussion.As far as I know, there are no significant differences between wild cormorants and captive cormorants to prove that cormorants are a domesticated species. There are about 9,000 species of birds in the world, at least thousands of them are hunted by humans and provide food for humans, but less than ten species are really raised by humans and are economically important.Of all the birds, the most important is of course the chicken.The number of chickens is maintained at around 8-10 billion at any time. It is the main source of protein for human beings, and eggs are also a very important food.A few other birds, such as turkeys, ducks, and geese, are of limited economic importance compared with chickens. We are forced to trade any animal we see, especially the birds that we eat.Compared with the benefits provided by birds, if we can provide them with any assistance, it is actually very little. Their lives are not extended or made more comfortable by humans, in fact, their lives are shortened by humans. or worse.The way humans treat life and creatures is completely self-centered.Human beings only know how to take, but not necessarily give back.If raising animals is considered the greatest human achievement, one might argue that it is actually the ultimate form of hunting.