civilized pigeons

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Rock pigeons (Columba livia, Latin for pigeon/dove, blue-gray), once known as rock doves in the field guides, have been living either feral and domesticated in cages with humans for over 5,000 years. (They are found on Egyptian hieroglyphs.) Consequentially, they are really quite at home in the company of our species, be we be physician, pharmacist, philanderer or Pharaoh.


As something of a post script to my last entry. While in the Big Apple recently, my friend Wayne also discovered that the pigeons—be they be gray, white or cocoa brown—are very civil. 


They stop for red lights.


Thanks, Wayne.

- Photo by Wayne Mallinger.

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