Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan . . . and the World

[Dezirrae]

I thought everyone would find this interesting - I have seen / read the book yet but after reading the review I'm going to keep my eyes open for it In fact - just found it on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Superdove-Pige.../dp/0061259160).

Also - if you live anywhere near Wellesley Booksmith (Wellesley, MA), they are having a book discussion on it Wednesday, Aug 13 7:00 p.m. ; free event ; (781)431-1160

Where many of us see pigeons as an urban scourge, feeding on discarded fast food (ew) on Boston Common, Courtney Humphries sees the birds as a fascinating study in evolution.

The following is a review from the New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/seven/08102008...ove_123809.htm)

"SUPERDOVE"
MISNAMED AND CAST OUT, PIGEONS GET NO RESPECT

By KENNETH P. GREEN
August 10, 2008

Want to rid New York of pigeons? First, go after the little old ladies.

The most interesting bit of trivia in Courtney Humphries' spirited history of flying rodents, "Superdove," is that a huge percentage of the food that nurtures urban flocks comes from a tiny group of (mostly women) called pigeon mothers. In one Swiss city, "a mere 10% of their food came from natural sources . . . the vast majority of the human-derived food . . . came from a small group of people feeding the pigeons."

When they were stopped, the pigeon population "dropped from an estimated 24,000 birds to 8,000."

This begs interesting ideas of how to fight New York's flock, but Humphries is here to defend Columba livia, not bury them.

For instance, who knew that pigeons were war heroes? Humphries tells us about "Cher Ami, a British-trained bird that was credited with saving nearly two hundred American lives in WWI," being the sole pigeon messenger to survive fire while carrying a vital missive. One of the first recipients of Britain's medal for bravery in animals (!) was a pigeon named G.I. Joe, which saved an infantry division from friendly-fire eradication in WWII by warning off an airstrike of an Italian town at the last minute. And Julius Reuters, founder of the Reuters news service made his name using pigeons to fly news and stock prices between Brussels and Germany. Who knew?

If these tales don't impress you, Humphries asks you to reframe the debate. Pigeons are actually doves, she explains. "We never talk of pigeons of peace, or dove droppings on statues. 'Dove' is a pleasant enough title to grace chocolate bars and soap, while 'pigeon" has no marketing appeal.'

Pigeons are not only great homing birds and good eats, they are scientifically important, even capturing the heart of Charles Darwin, who wrote "I am getting on with my Pigeon Fancy & now have pairs of nine very distinct varieties, & I love them to the extent that I cannot bear to kill and skeletonise them."

"Superdove" is also a travelogue, a woman's personal journey from having a superficial view of pigeons to gaining a holistic knowledge of pigeon biology, behavior, ecology, history, and even their flavor ("they were delicious," she tells us). Finally she arrives in New York, perhaps the pigeon capital of the world, where Europeans brought their homing pigeons, released them into the urban world, and they went wild.

Here Humphries profiles the Pigeon People, who rescue injured pigeons and crusade against anti-pigeon programs, such as curtailing the right to feed them. They come off a bit batty, to be honest. Call them pigeons, call them doves, in crowded New York City, sometimes they're just for the birds.

Kenneth P. Green is a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Superdove
How the Pigeon Took Manhattan . . . and the World
by Courtney Humphries
Collins

[John_D]

Hmmm. So much for the New York Post.

Might be interesting to see if the book comes up with anything Blechman'sbook didn't.

John

[Maggie-NC]

Dez, thanks for bringing this to our attention. Overall, I thought the review was pretty positive for our little buddies.

[John_D]

Can't say as I'm impressed with the reviewer starting off by calling pigeons 'flying rodents' or categorizing those who rescue pigeons or campaign for them as 'batty'.

More another pop at pigeons than a book review.

John

[Jaye]

"resident scholar at the american enterprise institute"....


aaaaaah, yes...it's good to see the Post continues their historic practice of employing only the most top-notch journalists....



on the other hand, always good to see some of the word getting out there, as far as the book goes....

[gingerpoo]

sorry to change the subject somewhat.. but i saw this book at the bookstore the other day and wondered if anyone had seen/read it before. Superdove looks very close to it as well, wonder which is worth getting.

http://www.amazon.com/Pigeons-Fascin...8996760&sr=1-9