White Pigeon Sightings: Spiritual Meaning and Symbolism

Before we can explore the significance of sighting a white pigeon, we first have to be clear about what bird we’re actually talking about. Because a white pigeon could also be called a white dove.

The popular conceptions of doves and pigeons are quite far apart. Pigeons are common birds, seen in cities worldwide. We feed them birdseed or breadcrumbs in the park, we wish they wouldn’t dirty up our statues and monuments. Doves seem like more refined and special creatures. We release them at weddings and celebrations. So what’s the connection between these two types of birds?

Dove or Pigeon?

To be honest, the connection between pigeons and doves couldn’t be simpler: they’re the same thing. Pigeons and doves belong to the Columbidae group of birds, a taxonomic category which contains about 175 species. Some of those species are called pigeons, some are called doves, but the terms have no scientific meaning. Pigeons are doves, doves are pigeons. These are birds that have been domesticated since 3000 BCE, after all. So over the centuries, different verbiage has arisen to describe them. “Pigeon” and “dove” are different terms for the same birds, with each word coming into English usage from different languages.

Some White Pigeons Are Put In Harm’s Way

Which brings us back to the white pigeon. This bird is, simply put, a domestic pigeon variety bred for its all-white color. White pigeons are often called “release doves,” which suggests the purpose that they’re used for: the symbolic release of one or more birds as part of a ceremony or memorial. You may have seen this at a wedding or even watched it during high-profile events like the Olympics. Unfortunately, while such a ritual may be exciting or memorable for the onlookers, it’s not so great for the birds. Domestic birds like white pigeons have few survival skills and are easy targets for predators. They don’t know how to fend for themselves. Even if the released pigeons are homing pigeons, casualties are common, notes pigeonrescue.org.

So considering all that, we might say that one meaning of a white pigeon sighting is that someone prioritized their own need for entertainment over the survival of the bird.

While it may be unusual to sight an all-white white pigeon in the wild, you might encounter one in a pet store. And white pigeon images appear on everything from commercial products to political cartoons to greeting cards. Let’s consider some meanings and symbolism that might emerge the next time a white pigeon comes to your attention.

The White Pigeon Is a Symbol of Peace

Why are white pigeons sought after for ceremonial release? Since humans have been breeding pigeons for millennia, they’ve been imbued with lots of symbolic and spiritual meaning. Perhaps the most familiar example of this is the use of the white pigeon—typically called a dove in this context—to represent peace. In modern times, we can trace the popularization of this symbolism to the artist Pablo Picasso. He was asked to create an emblem for the First International Peace Conference, held in Paris in 1949. His original image was a realistic drawing of a white pigeon. Later he would create iconic line drawings that would effectively establish the white pigeon as an enduring, universal peace symbol.

The white dove of peace is often portrayed holding an olive branch, itself a highly symbolic object. In Greek mythology, the goddess Athena created the first olive tree to win a contest with the god Poseidon. This may be one reason why both the Greeks and Romans associated an olive branch with peace, the end of a conflict.

So if you encounter a white pigeon, you might take it as a promise that there’s peace to come in your life. Alternately, it might be a challenge to you to become a peacemaker and bring some tranquility to someone who needs it.

A White Pigeon Can Represent the Divine

Doves are familiar symbols in Judaism and Christianity. The story of Noah, in the Old Testament, recounts how Noah sent out doves to determine if the waters of the great flood had receded. When one returns carrying an olive leave, Noah takes it as a message that the flood is over. A New Testament story describes the spirit of God as descending on Jesus like a dove. Artists would later represent this with the image of a literal dove. If this symbolism speaks to you, sighting a white pigeon could be a call to reconnect with whatever higher power is a part of your belief system.

Doves Have Been Associated with Love and Fertility

One of the oldest spiritual meanings connected to doves is a connection to fertility, femininity, and love. In ancient cultures of the Mediterranean world, doves were related to mother goddess figures, like the goddess Astarte. The Greeks associated doves with the love goddess Aphrodite, and often depicted them together on pottery. With that in mind, you might consider a white pigeon to be a positive sign for romance, or a prophecy that a lackluster love life is about to take flight.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © stockphoto mania/Shutterstock.com