How pigeons took over the world

Link

https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_carlen_and_joanna_moles_how_pigeons_took_over_the_world?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Vocabulary

| --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | falcon | 매 | a type of hawk that can fly very fast and is sometimes trained to hunt | | 2 | gallantry | 용맹, | very brave behavior | | 3 | nitrogen | 질소 | a chemical element that is a gas with no color or taste, forms most of the earth's atmosphere, and is a part of all living things | | 4 | captivity | 감금, 억류 | the state of being kept in a place (such as a prison or a cage) and not being able to leave or be free, the state or condition of being captive | | 5 | tap into | …을 활용[이용]하다 | to gain information from (a source) | | 6 | pigeon post | 비둘기가 전하는 서신 | The use of homing pigeons to carry messages. | | 7 | pigeon fancying | 비둘기를 경주 및 전시를 위해 키우는 것 | The breeding, competitive showing and racing of domestic pigeons | | 8 | plumage | 깃털 | the feathers that cover the body of a bird | | 9 | accentuate | 강조하다, 두드러지게 하다 | to make (something) more noticeable | | 10 | dweller | [특히 합성어에서] …거주자; …에 사는 동물 | a person or animal that lives in a particular place | | 11 | notoriously | 악명 높은, | well-known or famous especially for something bad | | 12 | low bar | 낮은 기준 | a low standard for something | | 13 | when it comes to | ~에 관한 한 | when the specified matter is under consideration | | 14 | unfussiness | 안달복달 하지 않음 | The state or condition of being unfussy; lack of fussiness (야단법석, 복잡함). | | 15 | crop | (조류의) 모이주머니 | a pouched enlargement of the esophagus(식도) of many birds that serves as a receptacle for food and for its preliminary maceration | | 16 | gorge | 잔뜩[실컷] 먹다 | (=stuff yourself), to eat large amounts of food | | 17 | year-round | 연중 계속되는 | active, present, or done throughout the year | | 18 | offspring | 자식, (동식물의) 새끼 | a person's child, the young of an animal or plant | | 19 | raptor | 육식조, 맹금 | a bird (such as an eagle or hawk) that kills and eats other animals for food, bird of prey | | 20 | aptitude | 소질, 적성, | a natural ability to do something or to learn something | | 21 | swift | 신속한, 빠른 | moving or able to move very fast | | 22 | exploit | 이용하다, 착취하다 | to get value or use from (something), to use (someone or something) in a way that helps you unfairly | | 23 | excrement | (격식) 대변, 배설물 | (formal) solid waste passed out of the body | | 24 | keen | …을 열망하는 (=eager) | very excited about and interested in something |

Transcript

Part 1

00:06

It’s the morning of June 12th, 1944 and a pigeon named Paddy is making an epic 368 kilometer journey. He manages to dodge Nazi falcons then beats on through stormy weather, flying an average of 79 kilometers per hour for almost five hours straight. Paddy’s carrying the first news of the D-Day invasion back to England. He wins a medal for gallantry for this accomplishment.

00:31

Paddy was one of around 250,000 pigeons used by the British during World War II to speedily transport secret messages. In fact, pigeon delivery systems are ancient human practices. Seeing their meat as a protein source and their nitrogen-rich poop as the perfect fertilizer, humans brought pigeons into captivity as far back as 10,000 years ago. We then tapped into other traits. Pigeons are naturally speedy and possess a powerful homing instinct that drives them to navigate long distances back to the location they consider “home.” So we began developing pigeon posts and breeding and training them for racing. In a hobby called “pigeon fancying,” people selected for traits like head plumage and fabulously feathered feet.

Part 2

01:19

As we carried pigeons around the world, they escaped or were released, forming the wild urban flocks we're familiar with today. Pigeons are now one of the most abundant, widespread species on the planet, managing to thrive in chaotic cities. They owe their success to an ideal combination of traits, including some that were accentuated by humans.

01:40

Unlike birds that nest on the ground or in trees, pigeons were originally cliff-dwellers. City buildings mimic their natural habitat. And pigeons set a notoriously low bar when it comes to homemaking. Add some sticks to any window ledge or highway overpass and it's a great spot to raise babies. This unfussiness allows them to live in environments where more specialized species can’t.