how fucked is it that pigeons are the oldest domesticated bird and have been companions to humans for thousands of years and yet we treat them like roaches. they’re sweet smart social animals that make great pets and are 100% more suited to human life than parrots or something

i say this as someone who LOVES parrots with my whole heart and soul. they’re usually not good pets because they’re wild animals evolved to fly miles with huge flocks. pigeons are ground feeders that bond closely in flocks but are much happier with having some alone time

you get the close snuggly loveydoveyness of a parrot within an animal that cannot puncture your skin and cannot annoy your neighbors and is not inclined to self-harm and develop mental illness due to lack of constant companionship and stimulation. i love pigeons!!!!

here’s me a couple years ago at a wildlife rehabilitation center with a sweet funny bossy pigeon named walden that had to be adopted by a human bc he was too friendly

also did i mention that they won’t die if you breathe on them wrong? because that’s kind of a big deal when it comes to pet birds LMAO. they’re pretty hardy little guys. they come in all sorts of different colors and breeds too (lahore pigeons / komorner pigeons here)