r/interesting • u/I-T-Y • Jul 14 '26

NATURE Pigeon walks into falcon's nest

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u/MildlyAgreeable Jul 14 '26

Quick shout out to the WW1 pigeons who were OG messengers during some pretty brutal campaigns. A few of them were released after the war and some of their descendants will be cutting around the streets today (in the UK at least).

65

u/Person-11 Jul 14 '26

Three cheers to Speckled Jim!

31

u/MyyWifeRocks Jul 14 '26

HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

7

u/Just-Another-Users Jul 14 '26

Hip hip

8

u/28days6hr42min12secs Jul 14 '26

HOORAY

2

u/SerSonicSeppo Jul 14 '26

YOU SHOT MY SPECKLED JIM?!?

2

u/LackOptimal553 Jul 14 '26

THE FLANDERS PIGEON MURDERER

3

u/ShumwayAteTheCat Jul 14 '26

Brilliant reference

1

u/Case_Blue Jul 14 '26

We didn't receive any messages and we definitely did not shoot this delicious, plump-breasted pigeon!

1

u/jaredtheredditor Jul 14 '26

This guy knows ball

6

u/Person-11 Jul 14 '26

No, but I know a delicious, plump breasted pigeon, which I did not eat.

0

u/Additional_Wheel1664 Jul 14 '26

I read this as speckled jism

16

u/RepealArtcl343And351 Jul 14 '26

There is probably one pigeons who shat on the war memorial, not knowing his ancestor was part of the war effort.

1

u/SquidTheRidiculous Jul 14 '26

I mean, if my ancestors helped the war effort but I'm a homeless pest eating people's discarded pizza crusts, I'd be a bit salty too.

11

u/Angryfunnydog Jul 14 '26

Yeah, but they weren't necessarily less dumb, they were selected for the ability to find their "home" nest from far away distance, endurance and bravery (which can also be accounted to stupidity and not comprehending the danger). I think that lots of people (like myself some time ago) think that post pigeons just flew to some random locations to deliver news, while they essentially just were taken from nests, and then released with a message, so they just returned to their nests, they could be used only one way

But being dumb doesn't make them less useful and celebrated! They're pretty cool

8

u/graboidgraboid Jul 14 '26

🫡
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher_Ami

3

u/TheGreatGamer1389 Jul 14 '26

Got stuffed btw and can see the bird in person after it passed in Washington DC.

1

u/soedesh1 Jul 14 '26

All that noble work was canceled out by the lowly stool pigeon.

1

u/oO0Kat0Oo Jul 14 '26

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure carrier pigeons are either extict or about to be.

1

u/CommieDrifter Jul 14 '26

WW1 pigeons were absolutely in no way the OG messenger, messenger pigeons have been used for THOUSANDS of years, first documented case being in egypt in 1350 BC.
All pigeons that live close to humans are descendants of domesticated pigeons, although not all pigeons were domesticated to be homing birds

0

u/NuncaContent Jul 14 '26

Rats with wings.

0

u/Misiok Jul 14 '26

From what I understand ww1 pigeons were messenger pigeons, a now extinct bird.

-1

u/Droidcrackzz Jul 14 '26

Shoutout denied. Pidgeons are still trash.