How pigeons colonized the world - Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 4, 2026 · 6 MIN

How pigeons colonized the world - Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Trace the ancient history of the pigeon, and discover how these birds became one of the most abundant species on the planet.--Seeing their meat as a protein source and their poop as the perfect fertilizer, humans brought pigeons into captivity as far back as 10,000 years ago. As we carried pigeons around the world, they formed the wild urban flocks we're familiar with today and became one of the most abundant species on the planet. Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles track the feathery flier's rise to world domination.Lesson by Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles, directed by Joseph Clark, Oh Studio.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-pigeons-took-over-the-world-elizabeth-carlen-and-joanna-molesDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-pigeons-took-over-the-world-elizabeth-carlen-and-joanna-moles#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.ohstudio.co.ukMusic: https://www.campstudio.co ----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! JY Kang, Abhishek Goel, Heidi Stolt, Christina Salvatore, Karlee Finch, Michael Goldberg, Denise A Pitts, Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, Brighteagle, LadyGeek, Curtis Light, Dianne Palomar, Marin Kovachev, Fahad Nasser Chowdhury, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Sunny Patel, Hoai Nam Tran, Stina Boberg, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Jurjen Geleijn, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Brad Sullivan, Aaron Henson, Karen Ho, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Mikhail Shkirev, Brian Richards, Cindy O. and Jørgen Østerpart. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How pigeons colonized the world - Elizabeth Carlen and Joanna Moles

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