Ethnobotanic importance of plants used in pigeon-breeding in Eastern Spain

Carolina Cortés,Antonio Belda,Victoriano Peiró

doi:10.1186/1746-4269-9-33

Carolina Cortés, Antonio Belda + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-33

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Abstract

BackgroundThe importance that birds of the Columbidae family have had throughout history is visible on the Mediterranean coast. Pigeon fancying is the art of breeding and training carrier pigeons and currently, several breeds exist. The sport of racing pigeons consists in covering a distance at maximum possible speed. However, pigeon breeding has another modality called “sport pigeon”, where several males follow a female. This study focusses on ethnobotanical knowledge of native and exotic plant species that are used for diet, breeding, stimulation, healing illnesses and staining the plumage of pigeons bred in captivity.MethodsUsing semi-structured interviews, we gathered information about the different plant species traditionally used for pigeon-breeding in the region of Valencia. Background material on remedies for bird illnesses was gathered from folk botanical references, local books and journals.The plant species were collected in the study area, then identified in the laboratory using dichotomous keys and vouchered in the ABH (Herbarium of Alicante University). We used Excel ® 2003 to perform a simple statistical analysis of the data collected.ResultsWe collected 56 species of plants (and one variety) that included 29 botanical families. The total number of species was made up of 35 cultivated and 21 wild plants. The most common were Gramineae (14 species), Leguminosae (6 species), and Compositae (4 species).ConclusionsPigeon breeding is an immensely popular activity in Eastern Spain, and ethnobiological knowledge about breeding pigeons and caring for them is considerable. The names and traditional uses of plants depend on their geographical location, vernacular names serve as an intangible heritage. Feeding, environmental features, and genetic makeup of individuals are relevant aspects in the maintenance of avian health.

Highlights

The importance that birds of the Columbidae family have had throughout history is visible on the Mediterranean coast
This study focuses on ethnobotanical knowledge of native and exotic plant species that are used for diet, breeding, stimulation, healing illnesses and staining the plumage of pigeons bred in captivity (Figure 1)
We present the scientific names of these plant species, voucher registers, families, vernacular names, main uses, their citation frequency, cultural importance, whether the species is wild or cultivated in the Valencian region and the plant part used (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The importance that birds of the Columbidae family have had throughout history is visible on the Mediterranean coast. The importance that the birds of the Columbidae family have had throughout history is visible on the Mediterranean coast where Roman legions passed. In the 1840s and 1850s, the rapid growth of the telegraph led to a decline in the use of pigeons for sending messages and some birds used by merchant and press agencies came onto the open market This led to the growth of pigeon racing amongst individuals. In early 1855, Charles Darwin and his family spent several weeks in London This was when Darwin may have noticed common pigeons foraging for oats from spilt horse feed on one of his walks and perhaps this was what inspired him to prove that all fancy pigeons are descended from the common pigeon, known as the Rock Dove (Columbia livia Gmelin). This particular research would help him with his theories towards the 'Origin of Species' [2]

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