Pigeons are intelligent birds. They have contributed as war veterans and mail carriers due to their navigational expertise, and saved lives by locating those lost at sea. As weather reporters, they sense frequencies humans cannot (forewarning of incoming storms and volcano activity). However, an individual referred colloquially to as a ‘pigeon’ or being ‘taken for a pigeon’ translates as someone easily duped, an unappealing person, or something of low quality!
Whilst different in appearance and garnering overtly disparate treatment by humans, pigeons and doves are the same species; Columbidae.