Not only everyone heard of bats , but at least once saw them soaring in the sky. But about winged rats? This expression can be found in modern French, and in no other. So what kind of mysterious birds live in France? Who are they and what do they look like? Who do the French call the “flying rat”? Surely you are fired up with curiosity. And you can’t wait to find out the answers to these questions. Further in the article we will try to give comprehensive explanations.
Who do the French call the “flying rat”?
After searching in many zoological textbooks for the name of this animal or bird and not finding it, we realized that such a representative of the order of birds simply does not exist in nature. So who is this? The answer suggested itself. This is probably the nickname that the inhabitants of France have endowed with some birds due to their characteristics. But who exactly? Raven Forty? Jackdaw? It turns out that the French call the pigeon a "flying rat." Really strange? After all, we are used to the fact that these birds are called a symbol of peace. Indeed, according to legend, the dove released by Noah brought him an olive branch in his beak, which was a sign that God forgave mankind. And now we find out who the French call the "flying rat." Naturally, this puzzles us. And the first thing that comes to mind - probably, we are talking about some special kind of pigeons, something similar to these rodents, which in many are disgusting. So why and whom do the French call the "flying rat"?
Gray pigeon
There are many of these birds in nature, and they come in various species. The most domesticated and frequently found in the cities pigeons are gray. Their homeland is North Africa. Even 5000 years ago they were specially bred in Ancient Egypt, including for eating. Another function of these pigeons was postal. And they were engaged in this business until the middle of the 20th century. The Latin name for the gray pigeons is Columba livia var. urbana. Over time, they became widespread throughout the world and even came to the American and Australian continents. Today it is impossible to imagine an area in any metropolis without these cute little birds. So why did the French call them such an unsympathetic name?
Reasons for an unusual nickname
So, we already learned who the French call the "flying rat", it remains to understand why. By the way, in addition to this nickname, French pigeons have another thing - “dude”. As you can see, none of them is associated with the word “world”. But the French have many reasons to compare these birds with rodents. In large cities, their main habitat is landfill, where they swarm around in search of food. And this, of course, leads to the fact that pigeons become, like rats, carriers of various infections. The easiest disease is allergy, but among serious - ornithosis. By the way, as carriers of disease, pigeons are much more dangerous than rodents, because, unlike the latter, moving on the ground, birds cover a wider range.
How does infection happen?
Like all birds, pigeons leave droppings on their windowsills, roofs, monuments and just on the sidewalks. These excrement dries and turns into dust, which spreads everywhere thanks to gusts of wind. As a result, many citizens have an allergy. By the way, pigeon droppings contain a very toxic substance that can cause corrosion of metals. And now imagine what happens to a person’s mucous membranes if dust containing dried droppings gets on them. And, for example, rural residents use litter to fertilize the soil. In principle, out of town for the poor birds there is much more wholesome food, and therefore there is no need to eat garbage. So their litter is not so dangerous.
Conclusion
Of course, to be a carrier of infection is not a noble cause. However, it is cruel to call birds, once considered a symbol of the world, so unflattering - "rats." Fortunately, we have not reached this point yet, and we continue to affectionately call them doves.