Pigeon rides on employees' heads, shoulders or fanny packs and refuses to jump down unless forced. "I was surprised because this pigeon wasn't afraid of dogs or people," Brooke Ciardi says.
The pigeon was put up for adoption on April 2, about a week after the bird first landed on an employee's shoulder. The bird's friendly nature suggests it was likely domesticated as a young animal, Ciardi said.. Easily identified by their green neck feathers, the birds are common in cities around the world and are known for their unique ability to fly home. During World War I and World War II, carrier pigeons were used to carry secret messages from combat zones back home.. As radio communications improved and birds were no longer needed as messengers, "humanity abandoned them and we began to look down on them,” Ciardi say. “They used to be bred and domesticated to work with us, just like dogs do,’’ she says.