CHRIS HELGREN / REUTERS FILE PHOTO
Champlain brought pigeons to North America, intending they be baked into tourtieres. Some escaped that fate, and the rest is history
January 01, 2007
Isolde Prince
Guest Column
Last year must not be allowed to slip away without commemorating a sometimes under-appreciated urban neighbour.
To its little pink feet and matching pink eyes, let's raise a glass for the to an almost-overlooked event: the quadricentennial of the pigeon.
It was some 400 years ago, in 1606, that Samuel de Champlain unloaded the cages of the very first pigeons to arrive in North America.
Imported by ship from France to Port Royal, N.S., Champlain intended the birds, domestic Columba livia or rock doves, to be baked into tortieres for the settlers.
But some pigeons escaped that fate; they went feral, and their offspring spread eventually all across Canada. Since then pigeons have adapted brilliantly to the growth of modern cities.
Cliff dwellers in their natural surroundings, city pigeons will take up residence on any bit of cityscape that even slightly resembles a rocky outcrop.
Perched on its building ledge or windowsill, today's Bay Street pigeon feels as much at home in the city as the Bay Street lawyer.
A few pigeon facts:
· Pigeons mate for life; both male and female raise the pigeon babies, called squabs.
· Pigeons are strong, fast fliers, whose muscled wings represent one-third of their body weight. When they put their minds to it (not often, admittedly) pigeons can fly up to 97 km an hour, nearly the speed limit on Highway 401.
· During World War I, France awarded carrier pigeon Cher Ami with the Croix de Guerre for flying over the field of battle during intense fighting to deliver a message that saved 200 soldiers.
· Pigeons are smart, too. They are often used as subjects in learning experiments. In 1995, Japanese psychologist Shigeru Watanabe trained pigeons to be able to distinguish between paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso.
So,
as 2007 dawns, let's toast: Confusion to the sparrow: Long live the pigeon!
Isolde Prince is a freelance
writer.