By Divya Munjal

Have you ever seen a pigeon flying in the sky and thought, “This little bird once carried messages across cities and countries”? It may sound surprising, but long before smartphones, emails, and social media, pigeons were one of the fastest and most reliable messengers in the world. Let us take a journey into the past to understand how pigeons became the heroes of communication, how it all began, and how their role compares to today’s modern communication systems.

The beginning: How did pigeon messaging start?

The idea of using pigeons to carry messages is over 3,000 years old. The ancient Egyptians and Persians were among the first to train pigeons to deliver important messages. Pigeons have a unique skill called “homing ability,” which means they can find their way back to their home even if they are released from far away. People noticed this amazing ability and decided to use it for their benefit.

In ancient Greece, pigeons were used to announce winners of Olympic Games. In the Roman Empire, Julius Caesar used them to send news from the battlefield. Slowly, pigeon post became a common method of communication in many parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

How did it work?

The pigeon post system was based on the bird’s natural instinct to return to its home. Here’s how it worked:

A person would raise and train pigeons in their home or office (called a pigeon loft).
These pigeons would be taken to another place, often many miles away.
When the person at the new location wanted to send a message, they would tie a small paper note to the pigeon’s leg.
The pigeon would then fly back home, carrying the message.

The note was often rolled up and placed inside a small cylinder attached to the bird’s leg. These messages were short but could be life-saving during wars, emergencies, or important events.

Pigeons in wars: Silent soldiers

Pigeons played a huge role in both World War I and World War II. When telephone wires were cut or radios stopped working, pigeons stepped in to deliver important messages. One of the most famous pigeons was Cher Ami, a bird used by the American army in World War I. In 1918, Cher Ami flew through enemy fire and delivered a message that saved nearly 200 soldiers. The pigeon was injured but survived and became a war hero.

Governments even had special pigeon training units. The birds were trained to fly long distances and return quickly, even during bad weather. Soldiers would often carry pigeons in cages and release them when they needed to send a message.

Advantages of using pigeons

Using pigeons for sending messages had several benefits, especially during times when technology was limited.

Speed: A trained pigeon could fly at 50 to 60 km/hour and cover hundreds of kilometers in a day.
Accuracy: They rarely got lost and always returned to their home loft.
Reliability in crisis: When all other methods failed during wars, pigeons still worked.
Low cost: After the initial training, keeping pigeons was cheaper than maintaining telegraph lines or radio equipment.
No power needed: Pigeons did not need batteries or electricity—just food and care.

Disadvantages of pigeon messaging

As useful as pigeons were, there were also some limitations.

One-way messaging: Pigeons could only fly back to their home. They could not be used to send a message back to the original sender unless more pigeons were available.
Limited message size: The message had to be very short and light—no long letters or documents.
Training and care: Pigeons needed regular training and care, and not every bird could become a reliable messenger.
Weather and predators: Rain, storms, and birds of prey like hawks could stop pigeons from reaching their destination.
Security risks: If a pigeon was caught by the enemy, the message could be read.

Pigeon post vs modern communication

Now let us compare the pigeon post system to today’s communication methods. Imagine sending a message from Delhi to Mumbai using a pigeon and another using WhatsApp.

Feature	Pigeon post	Modern communication
Speed	Several hours to a day	Instant (seconds)
Message length	Very short	Text, audio, images, videos
Reliability	High, but not perfect	Extremely high
Cost	Low but needs care	Very low
Security	Can be risky	End-to-end encryption available
Weather impact	Yes	No
Two-way communication	Difficult	Very easy

Clearly, technology has changed the way we communicate. Today, we can send emails, make video calls, or share documents with just a tap. We do not need to feed or train a bird anymore.

What can we learn from pigeon post?

While we may not use pigeons for sending messages today, the pigeon post system teaches us a few important lessons:

Innovation with Nature: People used what was available in nature and turned it into a communication tool.
Simplicity: Even with no machines, people found ways to stay connected.
Trust and Patience: Messages were not instant, but they were important. People learned to wait.
Adaptability: During emergencies, humans have always found creative solutions.

A touch of emotion: The human side

There’s something touching about using a living creature to carry a message from one heart to another. During wars, soldiers would write final letters to loved ones and tie them to pigeons. Families would wait with hope. The flap of wings was sometimes the sound of life itself. Unlike today’s fast messaging apps, the pigeon post had emotion, silence, and suspense.

Where are they now?

Though not used in communication anymore, pigeons are still trained in many parts of the world for racing and as a hobby. Some pigeon museums and war memorials remind us of their historical role. In India, the Police Pigeon Service once operated in Odisha, even into the 2000s, before finally being shut down.

Conclusion

The journey from pigeons to 5G is a story of human creativity and progress. Pigeons once connected people across distances when nothing else could. Today, we are always connected, often taking it for granted. The next time you send a message in a second, remember the little grey bird that once flew for hours to do the same.

Pigeons may no longer carry our words, but their story reminds us how far we have come—and how deeply we have always needed to communicate.

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