Social media has always been a space to share and create with others, the freedom of posting anything that comes to mind and sharing that with millions with just one click. With this comes many popular trends and content creators, one recent interesting new trend being pigeon influencers!
These influencers have recently gained popularity, garnering thousands of followers on social media such as Instagram and TikTok. The owners of said domesticated birds felt the need to share their feathery companions with the world, mostly due to their cuteness factor and comedic nature. These silly videos get millions of views and impressions from users. Often sharing the videos with their friends and families, this side of the internet rapidly grew in popularity.
Pigeons and humans have always had a complicated relationship. Some detest the creatures, with the popular stereotype of them being menaces, pooping on cars and people, stealing food, carrying diseases, and overall being viewed as disgusting pests. This makes their popularity on social media even more fascinating because, despite these stigmas against them, comments are filled with people adoring the creatures.
It all comes down to presentation. The videos present the birds doing silly and cute things like sleeping, eating, or interacting with the person behind the camera or with other pigeons. Often the birds are doing rather strange things like chirping at one another, walking strangely, or their rather unique way of turning their heads. In turn, the birds are often viewed as slightly dumb or slower than other winged species, making them seem like easy and simple animals to take care of.
With the surge of popular pigeon pages, many have started to want to have their very own pet pigeon. Having been domesticated over 5,000 years ago in the Mediterranean region these birds have played numerous roles in society, acting as messengers, food sources, and even sacred animals. Domestic pigeons are known for their incredible homing ability and make rather loving companions.
Pigeons are very affectionate and sociable animals, often creating strong bonds with their owners. Pigeons are also incredibly smart creatures, being able to recognize their owners by their faces and voices. They can even remember those who have interacted with them negatively such as those who chased them.
Contrary to popular belief, pigeons are rather docile and quiet creatures. They are non-destructive and generally on the quieter side compared to other birds. They are also rather low maintenance, do not need complicated care routines or expensive foods, and are easy to train.
The internet is an interesting space, where new trends and crazes pop out of seemingly nowhere every day. Pigeon videos and images are definitely one of the few wholesome things to come out of social media and will hopefully in turn make the negative stigmas surrounding the creatures die down and more and more people learn to have an appreciation for the animals in the future.
