PIGEON AS A SYMBOL 🕊

Of Peace, Hope, Love, Loyalty, and Humility.

Of the Holy Spirit and the Soul of a living being.

The pigeon is our faithful guide and servant – in good and bad – on our human journey. Sometimes a postman, sometimes food, but for millennia an inseparable part of our traditions, culture, and history.

To Noah, it showed the way and brought a message of new land. Noah recognized in it a sign of God’s reconciliation, the end of the flood, and hope for peace as a divine gift. That’s why later the dove with an olive branch became a symbol of hope and peace.

Pigeons mate for life – until death do them part – which is why they became a symbol of love and loyalty. ❤️ A poet in exile imagined his prayers and even his soul flying to Zion in the form of a dove: “Oh, that I had wings like a dove…” 🙏 In Christianity, the white dove represents simplicity, humility, purity, but above all the Holy Spirit – who descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove during His baptism in the Jordan. Outstretched dove wings symbolize freedom, lightness, and the flight of the soul.

• We’ve used them for at least 6–10,000 years for postal messages and food – they were the internet of civilization until the telegraph. Even hospitals in major cities used them for emergency delivery of medicine and blood, right up until the era of drones.
• It’s therefore humanity’s responsibility – they grew used to us (buildings are their cliffs – as they descend from rock pigeons). But above all, they’ve learned partial dependence on humans for food over 2,000 generations – which is why pigeons suffer the most in cities. It’s genetically encoded. In captivity, they live up to 15 years. In cities, if they survive the first 3 months, they live max 2–3 years. And often in great suffering. That’s why feeding and some responsibility is on our side – not just to use them, but to give back a little for their service.
• Municipal pigeon lofts only work if the city is covered like a network – eggs are replaced with artificial ones; sometimes contraceptive feed is used.
• Every pigeon is a messenger – the principle is that they return home to their friends, but especially to their mate – If I take a pigeon from Prague to Hradec Králové, it will return because its partner is here.
• They see 5 colors (humans only 3)
• Their navigation sense is genius – they are nearly as intelligent as corvids
• They do not spread disease – that’s a myth. Three ornithologists and one infectious disease expert from Motol confirmed this. Studies I’ve read documented about 30 rare cases total across 10 countries over 60 years. People probably assumed this due to droppings etc. A German court confirmed this in 2022.
• 250,000 pigeons were dropped by the British over Europe during WWII. In both world wars, many received medals and honors – some made it through with messages even when wounded by shrapnel or bullets – saving many lives. Some bravely flew through enemy fire…
• They are both very vulnerable and incredibly resilient – they can endure so much…
• Picasso 🙂 painted and loved them greatly
• Mike Tyson had his first fight over pigeons – and loved them all his life
• Nikola Tesla fed and cared for them, spent his money on them – once he rescued a white dove, and she stayed with him. When she died, he knew his work was done…

• And much more! 🙂

I’ve also prepared for you:

info gallery Curiosities and info about pigeons – Gallery – Gallery: Pigeons and Celebrities or Pigeon photos and memes from the net – VIDEO GALLERY LINKS TO: Basic info and curiosities – Heroic pigeons in history – Rescue and care for pigeons – and also a few uncategorized pigeon-themed videos 😉 where you’ll find selected recommended info videos about pigeons, their traits, unique abilities, and history in the service of humans (post, war heroes, food). Stories. Tips on how to help them. Etc.