Fun, funny, interesting, illuminating book. How much did I like it? Only 50% into the book, I acquired two physical copies to give out for Christmas. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. Create Account Fancy Pigeons: Containing Full Directions for Their Breeding and Management, With Descriptions of Every Known Variety, and all Other Information of In Keep collections to yourself or inspire other shoppers! Keep in mind that anyone can view public collections - they may also appear in recommendations and other places.

My only criticism is that I thought it presented (in)breeding in a very neutral way even when describing certain breeds as literally incapable of feeding their young or flying. I would have liked an explicitly critical approach to some of the more clearly iffy aspects of the selective breeding of sentient animals, but still, based on the general tone and some comments about us having a moral responsibility to treat animals humanely, especially those that exist because of out domestication and breeding, I think the author’s ethics would align with mine there. I’m so used to naturalists being dismissive about or downright hateful of urban wildlife that the author’s tone, enthusiasm and compassion for pigeons was very welcome and refreshing, especially when it’s clearly in no way incompatible with her scientific approach.BUT I believe a good Flyer can in a few years turn an average group of birds into a winning family. JMHO

Thanks to the power of the internet it's hard to keep a secret. I am interested in his writing and it doesn't matter if the book says "Old Hand" or " Bishop" Funny Pigeon So Many Books So Little Time T-Shirt, Elephant and Piggie Pigeon Shirt, Gift for Book Lover, Reading Shirt, Teacher Book Tee Fancy Pigeons Containing Full Directions for Their Breeding and Management, With Descriptions of Every Known Variety and All Other Information of Interest or Use to Pigeon Fanciers Classic Reprint A wonderful introduction to pigeons and birdwatching in general! I have not grown up around pigeons, but I still was able to gain a great appreciation for their unique traits and also see how some of these general pigeon/dove family traits manifest in my local family of mourning doves. They're such sweet pudgy birbs to watch that I'm sure if I ever lived in a city, I'd adore the pigeons just as much... if nothing else for their spectacular color variations! Mosco details the genetics behind these pretty colors and fancy feathers, as well as going into pigeon-keeping history, how they came to be feral birds, and provides a detailed section on how to "read" pigeon language. She also provides a brief epilogue on how to apply some basic bird watching skills towards watching other common birds, so this makes a perfect gift for the beginning city birdwatcher. Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.Here’s the thing about pigeons: if you’re one of those people who hate them and think of them as “flying rats”, well tough, because it’s our own fault. Pigeons aren’t wild animals who have taken to living in our towns, like urban foxes say; they are domesticated animals, like dogs and cows, some of which have escaped, been abandoned or deliberately released. They were domesticated, most likely somewhere in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East, thousands of years ago and throughout almost all of human history ever since have been liked, valued, admired, at times revered. Alongside the dog and the horse, they have been one of our favourite companions on this planet.