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homing pigeon
Sign in to saveAlso known as carrier pigeon, messenger pigeon
variety of domestic pigeon selectively bred to find its way home over extremely long distances
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- domesticated pigeon
- Image
- Carrier Pigeon (PSF).jpg
- Has use
- delivery
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Homing pigeons
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~14 min read
Encyclopedic overview
A messenger pigeon on a house roof A group of homing pigeons in flight A modern day racing pigeon wearing an electronic timing ring
The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica), selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distances. Because of this skill, homing pigeons were used to carry messages, a practice referred to as "pigeon post". Until the introduction of telephones, they were used commercially to deliver communication; when used during wars, they were called "war pigeons".
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “homing pigeon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.