Part field guide, part history, part ornithology primer, and
altogether fun.
Fact: Pigeons are amazing, and until recently, humans adored them. We've
kept them as pets, held pigeon beauty contests, raced them, used them to
carry messages over battlefields, harvested their poop to fertilize our
crops--and cooked them in gourmet dishes. Now, with The Pocket Guide
to Pigeon Watching, readers can rediscover the wonder. Equal parts
illustrated field guide and quirky history, it covers behavior: Why they
coo; how they flock; how they preen, kiss, and mate (monogamously); and
how they raise their young (on chunky pigeon milk). Anatomy and
identification, from Birmingham Roller to the American Giant Runt to the
Scandaroon. Birder issues, like what to do if you find a baby pigeon
stranded in the park. And our lively shared story together, including
all the things we've taught them--Ping-Pong, for example. "Rats with
wings?" Think again.
Pigeons coo, peck and nest all over the world, yet most of us treat them
with indifference or disdain. So Rosemary Mosco, a bird-lover, science
communicator, writer, and cartoonist (and co-author of The Atlas
Obscura Explorer's Guide for the World's Most Adventurous Kid) is here
to give the pigeon's image a makeover, and to help every town- and
city-dweller get closer to nature by discovering the joys of birding
through pigeon-watching.
