15 Amazing Facts About 15 Birds

A common raven looking pretty pleased with itself.
A common raven looking pretty pleased with itself. / Andreas Saatze-Stein/500px/Getty Images
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8. In ancient Greece, pigeons delivered the results of the Olympic games.

Two World War II soldiers prepare a carrier pigeon to deliver messages.
Two World War II soldiers prepare a carrier pigeon to deliver messages. / Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Believed to be the first domesticated bird, pigeons were used for millennia to deliver messages, including important military information, and the outcome of the early Olympic games. Though non-avian mail delivery has become more popular over time, pigeons were used as recently as World War II to carry select messages.