Are Homing Pigeons Extinct?

Many people often ask whether are homing pigeons extinct or not. But before discussing more about this, let us first explain what a homing pigeon actually is. Actually, a homing pigeon is a like many other domesticated pigeon breeds. But they are selectively bred for their ability to return to their home loft after being transported away from it. And like all other pigeons, the homing pigeons also belong to the domestic form of the rock pigeon.

Are Homing Pigeons Extinct?

The short and exact answer of this question is no. The homing pigeons are not extinct and they are still breed and kept around the world. These birds are used for pigeon racing, breeding, exhibitions, research, and also as a living link to the remarkable history of animal-based communication.

However, many people use the terms homing pigeon, carrier pigeon, rock pigeon, and passenger pigeon interchangeably. But all these are not same thing. The passenger pigeon (which is a completely different species) was once extraordinarily abundant in North America, but they are now extinct. The homing pigeons and the passenger pigeons are not the same thing. The passenger pigeon is extinct, but not the homing pigeons.

Why Do People Think Homing Pigeons Are Extinct?

There are several reasons of why people think that the homing pigeons are extinct. And the biggest is the remarkable story of another bird, the passenger pigeons. This passenger pigeon was once one of the most numerous birds in North America, numbered in the billions and may once have represented roughly 25-40 percent of the total bird population of the United States.

Flocks of passenger pigeons were so spectacular that historical observers described skies darkened by birds. But their population had collapsed by the late 19th century. And the last confirmed wild passenger pigeon was recorded in 1900 (and the final known individual, Martha, died in captivity in the year of 1914).

And that extinction is sometimes confused with the decline of the old-fashioned use of messenger or carrier or homing pigeons. Here is the full differences between passenger pigeon and homing pigeon.

Feature	Homing Pigeon	Passenger Pigeon
Scientific relationship	Domestic form of rock pigeon	Separate species
Scientific name	Columba livia	Ectopistes migratorius
Status	Still exists	Extinct
Famous for	Returning home, racing, communication	Massive North American flocks
Domesticated?	Yes	No
Last known individual	Still highly available	Martha, died in 1914
Still found today	Yes	No

Are Homing Pigeons Still Used For Communication?

No, they are not used in the way they were used before during the era before modern telecommunications. Today, most of the people have instant communication facilities through smartphones, email, fiber-optic networks, radio and satellite.

So, there is little practical reason to use pigeons as an everyday messaging system. But that doesn't mean that the birds disappeared. They are still available and are mainly associated with breeding, sport, recreation, and historical interest.

Homing pigeons were a great way of communication in the ancient time. But now we are living in a modern telecommunication era, and practical need and use of a homing pigeon has reduced drastically. Today the homing pigeons are mainly kept as pet, and also for breeding, historical interest and racing. Hope this guide has helped you! Consider sharing it with your friends and family members if you have found it helpful. Good luck and may God bless you!