• A passion for pigeons – why we love a Columba | Letters

    Ross McQueen and Teresa Rodrigues share their admiration for birds in the much-maligned genus ColumbaI can only agree with Toussaint Douglass that we should do more pigeon-watching (The hill I will die on: Pigeons are working-class heroes and deserve some respect, 29 December). Ever since Covid, I have been entertained by the pair of wood pigeons that make their home on the windowsill of my flat.During lockdown, when the outside world was scary and remote, these wood pigeons cheerfully slapped t
  • How demand for elite falcons in the Middle East is driving illegal trade of British birds

    Exclusive: data reveals hundreds of UK nests have been raided in the past decade amid growing appetite to own prized birds for racing and breedingIn the echoing exhibition halls of Abu Dhabi’s International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, hundreds of falcons sit on perches under bright lights. Decorated hoods fit snugly over their heads, blocking their vision to keep them calm.In a small glass room marked Elite Falcons Hall, four young birds belonging to an undisclosed Emirati sheikh ar

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