Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Why do we see pigeons as lowly urban pests and how did they become such common city dwellers? Courtney Humphries traces the natural history of the pigeon, recounting how these shy birds that once made their homes on the sparse cliffs of sea coasts came to dominate our urban public spaces. While detailing this evolution, Humphries introduces us to synanthropy: The concept that animals can become dependent on humans without ceasing to be wild; they can adapt to the cityscape as if it were a field or a forest. Superdove simultaneously explores the pigeon's cultural transformation, from its life in the dovecotes of ancient Egypt to its service in the trenches of World War I, to its feats within the pigeon-racing societies of today. While the dove is traditionally recognized as a symbol of peace, the pigeon has long inspired a different sort of fetishistic devotion from breeders, eaters, and artists—and from those who recognized and exploited the pigeon's astounding abilities. Because of their fecundity, pigeons were symbols of fertility associated with Aphrodite, while their keen ability to find their way home made them ideal messengers and even pilots. Their usefulness largely forgotten, today's pigeons have become as ubiquitous and reviled as rats. But Superdove reveals something more surprising: By using pigeons for our own purposes, we humans have changed their evolution. And in doing so, we have helped make pigeons the ideal city dwellers they are today. In the tradition of Rats, the book that made its namesake rodents famous, Superdove is the fascinating story of the pigeon's journey from the wild to the city—the home they'll never leave.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Previews available in: English
Subjects
Pigeons, Anecdotes, Nature, Nonfiction, Bird watchingShowing 9 featured editions. View all 9 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan ... and the World
2009, HarperCollins Publishers
in English
0061873462 9780061873461
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan... And the World
2009, HarperCollins Publishers
in English
0061259179 9780061259173
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
3 |
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
4 |
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
5 |
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
6 |
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
7
Superdove: How the Pigeon took Manhattan ... and the World
2008, Smithsonian Books, Collins
in English
- 1st Edition
0061259160 9780061259166
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
8 |
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
9 |
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Edition Notes
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?June 5, 2023 | Edited by bitnapper | Edited without comment. |
June 5, 2023 | Edited by bitnapper | Merge works |
February 28, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import new book |
April 28, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the work. |
December 10, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | add works page |