the attractive choco - pigeon !!

How fond are you of sweets & chocolates ? (no foodie post though!) -  It certainly is not a cherished  feeling, when not able to ! or specifically prevented from eating them   ~ one feels the whole World is merrily eating; there are eateries everywhere around .. .. but, but, one could not eat – because of health conditions – restricted intake, and total abstinence of sweets .. .. most weak-hearted would succumb easily and would steal some sweets and eat them clandestinely ! – that feeling ! .. .. even for those who were not very fond of sweets in their childhood and for some good branded chocolates were simply not within reach ! 

I like Pigeons too and have been feeding birds for a couple of years now. One should not feed pigeons chocolate as it is toxic to them and can kill them in extreme circumstances. Pigeons will happily eat chocolate if they are given the opportunity as it is sweet, chewy and very tasty however it is not worth the risk.  

Parrots are green ! – Pigeons are generally grey, rarely white !  - variable in color, but most pigeons  are bluish gray with two black bands on the wing and a black tip to the tail. Most birds have iridescent throat feathers. Wing patterns may include two bars, dark spots, or can be plain.  

அன்பே சங்கீதா (Anbe Sangeetha) 1979 ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த தமிழ்த் திரைப்படம். காரைக்குடி நாராயணன் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்த இத்திரைப்படத்தில் ஜெய்கணேஷ், சுமித்ரா மற்றும் பலரும் நடித்தனர்.  இளையராஜா இசை -  பாடல்களை வாலி இயற்றி இருந்தார்.  அப்படத்தில் ஒரு சிறப்பான பாடல்  : -   

சின்ன புறா ஒன்று எண்ணக் கனாவினில்

வண்ணம் கெடாமல் வாழ்கின்றது..

நூறாண்டுகள் நீ வாழ்கவே.. நூறாண்டுகள் நீ வாழ்கவே...'

 

The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica or Columba livia forma domestica) is a pigeon subspecies that was derived from the rock dove (also called the rock pigeon). The rock pigeon is the world's oldest domesticated bird.  Pigeons have made contributions of considerable importance to humanity, especially in times of war. In war the homing ability of pigeons has been put to use by making them messengers.  However, city pigeons today are seen as pests, mainly due to their droppings.   

Among the many pigeons that come to my terrace  was this shy choco-pigeon – first few days, it sat some distance away, carefully watching, perhaps after getting a feeling that the place and person are safe – it has started coming down and eat the grains of wheat and rice !

 

Miles away in USA, an  artificially pink pigeon, nicknamed Flamingo, was in news – it was  thought to be a victim of a gender reveal stunt gone wrong. The New York City Police Department’s animal cruelty unit has opened an inquiry. 

A domestic pigeon that was dyed pink and then released into the wild died this week, possibly from inhaling toxins from the dye, a New York City wildlife rescue service said.  The king pigeon, nicknamed Flamingo, was found last week at Madison Square Park and turned over to the Wild Bird Fund. In a tweet Tuesday, the center announced that Flamingo had died.  The center said it believes hair dye was most likely used to change the pigeon's color. Workers tried several methods to remove the dye but none worked. The bird was malnourished when it was found at the park. It appeared to be a fledgling and "had no survival skills."  

"Even without the added complication of the toxic dye, he would not have survived in a city park as a white, helpless bird," the center said in its tweet, warning that releasing domestic birds is dangerous. Domestic birds released to the wild will die of starvation or predation, according to the Wild Bird Fund. "'Dove releases' sound romantic, but take away the decorations and Instagram photos, and they are the equivalent of dumping your helpless pets on the side of the road. This is no way to celebrate anything," the center said. "Rest in peace, sweet bird." It's not clear why the bird was dyed or who is responsible for doing it.  

A diabetic eating chocolate may raise eyebrows amongst some people but within reason, chocolate needn’t be completely cut out of his  diet, some studies say.  In most cases, chocolate will cause blood sugar levels to rise and in light of this it’s best to limit chocolate consumption to small amounts, if one could not abstain eating when blood sugars are already higher than the recommended blood glucose levels.  

Interesting !

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
18.2.2023