How Messenger Pigeons Worked | 60 Seconds History?

Messenger pigeons were birds that carried messages from one place to another, like a super fast mail truck!

Imagine you have a friend who lives far away, and you want to tell them something important. Instead of waiting for the mail to come, you could write a note, tie it to a pigeon’s leg, and let the pigeon fly all the way to your friend.

These pigeons were trained to go back home after delivering the message, kind of like how your dog runs back to you when it gets a treat!

How It Worked

  1. Someone writes a short note on a small piece of paper.
  2. The note is tied around a pigeon’s leg with a little band.
  3. The pigeon is let go, and it flies to where its home is, that's where the message is going!
  4. When the pigeon gets there, someone takes off the note and reads it.

It was like having a flying post office, but with birds! Messenger pigeons were used a lot in old times, especially by armies who needed messages quickly. They didn’t need roads or cars, just wings!

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A soldier sends a message to his commander using a trained pigeon.
  2. A farmer uses a pigeon to tell his neighbor about an approaching storm.
  3. Pigeons carry letters between two cities during a war.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity