Are Pigeons Protected Animals? Understanding Pigeon Protection Levels in One Article

Pigeons are a common type of bird, widely kept all over the world. Pigeons are also known as doves of peace. The emblem of the “International Year of Peace” is a design of an olive branch surrounding a pair of hands releasing a pigeon, symbolizing peace and friendship. And some friends may wonder: are pigeons protected animals?

Pigeons are the collective name for hundreds of species of birds in the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae. What we commonly call pigeons is just one species in the genus Columba, and it is the domestic pigeon. Whether pigeons are protected animals still depends on the species. Ordinary domesticated domestic pigeons are not protected animals. Among the many columbiform species, only the wood pigeon is a national second-class protected animal. But even if other types of pigeons are not protected animals, they are still worthy of our cherishing.

Pigeons share a very long history with humans. As early as around 3000 BC, the Egyptians began using pigeons to deliver messages. Before the telegraph appeared, the British usually used pigeons to convey the results of football matches. Our country is also an ancient land of pigeon keeping, with a long history. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, in Guangzhou and other places in southern China, pigeons had already begun to be used for communication.

In the hands of painters, pigeons are a symbol of peace. It is said that the first portrait of a dove of peace came from the master painter Picasso. Our country's painter Qi Baishi was also an expert at painting pigeons; the pigeons he painted had both form and spirit, vivid and lifelike. Especially when set against backgrounds of freehand-style melons, fruits, flowers and plants, the pigeons appear even more delicate and masterfully rendered, a delight to the eye.

Pigeons have a long connection with humans and are a symbol of peace, so they are worth our patient protection, these lovely little spirits. Today, when environmental changes are causing mass extinctions of species, protecting the reproduction and continuation of species is a responsibility we must bear.