The origin of pigeons and their evolutionary history

Pigeons, also known as doves, belong to the family Doveidae, and there are many species, including wild pigeons and domestic pigeons. Humans have been raising pigeons for more than 7,000 years. According to Darwin's "Origin of Species": "Pigeons were first raised in the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, around 3000 BC."

Domestic pigeons were first domesticated in Arabia. Dove statues appeared in the Near East as early as 3100 BC. In Egypt, pigeons began to be raised around 2600 BC.

Where did the pigeon get its name? According to the explanation in the book "Hua Jing": "The pigeon is a gregarious person. Because it likes to be gregarious, the dove is also a match." This means that the pigeon likes to be gregarious, so people call it a dove. In European and American countries, people call pigeons "peace doves". Examining its origin, it turns out that there is an ancient myth here: Legend has it that one day in ancient times, God discovered that human morality was getting worse and worse. He was very angry and decided to send a flood to destroy it all. However, there must be some living things left in the world. After God sent messengers to carefully investigate everywhere, they determined that only Noah and his wife were the only good couple. So, Noah was notified in advance to prepare a large square wooden boat. Within a few days, the flood came, and there was a vast ocean everywhere, and everything was swallowed up by the flood. Only Noah's ark escaped this catastrophe and survived, drifting on the endless water. After a long time, the flood gradually subsided, and some of the highest peaks were exposed. When Noah saw this, he sent a dove out of the boat to see what was happening elsewhere. Soon, the dove flew back with a green olive branch in its mouth to report: the day of peace has come, and the world has regained its vitality.

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