But a group of pigeons in Kentucky has now exploded the myth that humans alone have such a work ethic.

ECONOMIST: Puritanical pigeons

The Chinese also raise pigeons as pets, but those tend to be a different type.

NPR: China Kills Market Birds As Flu Found In Pigeons

Nonsense, say the pigeon-owners, who point out that a hawk or falcon attacking a flock of 50 pigeons may get only one of them, but that the rest will be so frightened that they lose their bearings.

ECONOMIST: Feathered enemies

But a solution could yet be found, combining the mayor's hostility to pigeons with his kindlier feelings towards foxes.

ECONOMIST: Battle of Trafalgar Square | The

The pigeons have given way to the cables and satellites that deliver telephone calls and television pictures, but controls on foreign ownership have stayed and spread.

ECONOMIST: The comfort of strangers | The

But his rival and, some would argue, intellectual superior, Nikola Tesla , spent his last years feeding pigeons outside New York's Public Library, and died nearly penniless.

FORBES: Pioneers Die Broke