Life of the Pigeon - Hardcover

Pigeons have a long history, notes Skutch, author of A Naturalist on a Tropical Farm . They appear in artifacts from the Bronze Age, the Romans used them as messengers and the dove was the symbol of the Holy Ghost in early Christian art. He introduces the family Columbidae --pigeons and doves (255 species), found over most of the earth, with the greater number of species in the tropics and subtropics. They range in size from a sparrow to a hen turkey and, unlike most birds, can drink without raising their heads. Skutch describes the habits of these remarkably adaptive and intelligent birds: what they eat, their courtship rituals, how they raise their young. He devotes one chapter to migration, another to homing and racing pigeons and their training; he examines the domesticated pigeons raised by Charles Darwin. This is an engaging study, especially enlightening for readers who have regarded pigeons only as a nuisance.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"Pigeon" may mean only the familiar domestic bird or, as it does here, all 250-plus members of the family Columbidae, distributed worldwide except for the Arctic and Antarctic regions and some isolated islands. Skutch has spent 50 years studying both wild and domestic pigeons, chiefly in the United States and Costa Rica, and has thoroughly reviewed the published sources as well in compiling this comprehensive monograph of the family. It will be equally valuable to birders, pigeon raisers, and undergraduate zoology students. He covers classification, food, reproduction and life cycle, pigeon-human relationships, homing and navigation, and Darwin's use of pigeons in his studies of evolution. Skutch writes well and entertains as well as informs. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.
- Paul B. Cors, Univ. of Wyoming Lib., Laramie
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.