Domestic Pigeon

A domesticated bird derived from the rock dove, Columba livia, of which it is also classed as a subspecies, Columba livia domestica; rather than a single form, it comprises a collection of more than 350 breeds produced through centuries of selective breeding. Pigeons are among the world's earliest domesticated birds, mentioned in Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphs more than 5,000 years ago, and domesticated pigeons trace genetically closest to rock dove populations of the Middle East, in the Syria-Jordan-Iraq-Arabian Peninsula region; domestication most likely took place at least 2,000 to 5,000 years ago. They have served people as food, pets, symbolic animals and messengers, their homing ability making them valuable for carrying messages, including as war pigeons during both world wars, and they remain kept today for racing, exhibition breeding, scientific research and companionship, though feral urban populations are often regarded as a nuisance.