HOMING PIGEONS

HOMING PIGEONS
Fast facts
The homing pigeon's ability to navigate made the bird popular as a message carrier for centuries. More recently, the sport and hobby of pigeon racing has developed.
When human travel was principally on foot, homing pigeons were used by newspapers and governments to carry news of importance.
One homing pigeon, named "G.I. Joe," was awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery by the Lord Mayor of London for its role in saving more than 1,000 British during World War II. Today it remains the only U.S. bird or animal to have earned this award.
Modern pigeon racing evolved in Holland and Belgium.
Pigeon races range in distance from 100 to 600 miles.
The American Racing Pigeon Union has nearly 10,000 members and about 700 affiliated clubs nationwide.
Source: American Racing Pigeon Union